Can't Get Enough Of You
by Divinorse
Summary: AU, starting from the end of Original Song. Finn chooses Rachel, and Quinn's heartbroken. Yet her comfort comes from someone in a blue and red striped tie...
1. Meeting Jeff

"Rachel, I've loved you for a year. I can't get my head around you. I want to be with _you_. That song, it-it spoke to me." Finn bent down so Quinn couldn't see what was happening any more. But she didn't need to. She knew what was happening. She ran into the auditorium, crying, but stopped herself when she realised there was someone still there. He was clearly looking for something, and listening to music through his headphones, dancing along to the music. Quinn watched him with some amusement.

He did a half-turn and saw Quinn standing there. He froze, and almost falling over himself. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," he stammered, pulling his earphones out of his ears. You haven't seen a black iPhone with a bright yellow case around, have you?" he asked, looking around as he approached her. "I know, it's stupid of me to lose something like that but-" He cut himself off. "Where are my manners? I'm sorry, I'm Jeff. I'm one of the Dalton Warb-Oh my gosh, are you crying? Was I that bad?" he whispered.

Quinn let out a choked laugh. "No, it wasn't you. I just…You don't want to know."

"Well, if you don't wanna talk, then that's cool. I just thought that talking would make you less upset. My dad always said that a gentleman must _always_ try and cheer up an upset lady," he trailed off.

Quinn smiled. "Thanks. That's-that's sweet of you. I'm Quinn. Quinn Fabray," she said outstretching her hand. "I'm in New Directions."

Jeff took her hand and shook it gently. "I know. I saw you up here earlier. Surprised you didn't get to sing."

Quinn sighed. "Yep. Leave it up to _Rachel_ to get everything she wants. No matter what damage she makes." She paused. "Look, if you really must know, I caught my boyfriend Finn kissing her in a closet. They were the two leads, by the way."

Jeff patted her arm awkwardly. "I'm sorry. For the record – he's made the wrong choice." He realised what he said immediately after he said it and looked down, red tinting his face.

Quinn was about to reply when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out and saw that it was Finn calling. She rolled her eyes.

"Boyfriend?" Jeff asked. Quinn nodded. "Give it here," he held his hand out. Quinn nervously gave the Warbler her phone, and he pressed the green button. "Oh, hello! You must be _Finn_. Wait, are you – is this Kurt's stepbrother?" he asked Quinn, who nodded. "It's odd. Kurt sings your praises at Dalton, yet you clearly aren't as great as he makes you out to be. Of course, you'll know all about making out, won't you Finn? And in a cupboard, too. Classy." Quinn laughed in the background. "Consider yourself single now. Then again, if this Rachel girl has any intelligence, she'll leave you eventually, too. Happy cheating!"

He hung up before Finn could even respond. It vibrated in his hand but he dismissed the call. "Thanks," Quinn giggled. "Did he even say anything throughout that?"

"Didn't give him time to!" Jeff grinned. "He doesn't even know who I am," he laughed. "But who knows, might make him jealous that some _other guy_ has your phone," he raised his eyebrows. "N-not that there _is_ anything to be jealous of really, I mean, I barely know you, I-" he rambled.

Quinn cut him off by squeezing his hand. "Don't worry. What you did, I-I appreciate it." She smiled softly. "Hey, what's your number?"

Jeff's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. "I-Guh-Buh…" was all he could say. Quinn laughed. "Sorry," he apologised. "Why?"

"So that you can ring it from my phone and follow the sound of your ringtone."

"Oh. Right." Jeff sighed. "Sure." He tapped his number into her phone and waited. He froze as soon as the dialling tone finished when he realised what his ringtone still was.

Quinn could hear a faint noise coming from the other end of the stage. "Hey, I think I hear it!" she said. She walked over and eventually made out the words. Or rather, _word_. "Oh my God, is that the song from the rainbow-Poptart-cat thing?" she laughed.

"It's called Nyan Cat, actually," Jeff blushed. He ran over to the piano and hit the red button on his phone before any further embarrassment. "I forgot to look here – I was fooling around with the instruments before," he gestured to where a bunch of cases were.

"You play music, too?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah. Guitar, keyboard, bass. I used to be in a band before I came to Dalton. Although it looks like I won't be staying at Dalton much longer," he sighed.

"Why not?"

"My parents, they can't afford to pay for the fees anymore, not with Jodie, John, James and Jerry. They're my younger siblings," he explained.

"5 kids, all with the same first initial?" Quinn giggled.

"That's who I had the band with. We were called 5JS. You know, 5 J Sterlings. It was Dad's idea," he rolled his eyes. "I think he named us with the intention of starting some kind of band. But since I started going to Dalton, we had to stop being a band, and we used to get paid to go out to venues and stuff. So without that, there's no room for luxuries." He looked at her and sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm boring you. I'll go now."

"You're not boring me at all! You've made me feel better about…That," she waved in the direction of the place where she found Finn and Rachel.

Jeff smiled. "No problem. Just doing like I was taught. I'll see you around…Hopefully." He wasn't sure how to end the exchange, but thankfully for him, Quinn hugged him around the waist. He hugged her back, smelling her hair. It smelt like mint. Jeff liked mint. "Wait! How are you getting home?"

"Well, I was going to get a lift from my boyfriend, but…" Quinn trailed off.

"How about getting a lift from the guy that confronted said _ex_-boyfriend?" he asked hopefully.

Quinn laughed. "I'd like that."

Jeff's face lit up. "Cool!"

…

They were sat in Jeff's convertible. Quinn was flicking through the music on his iPod, trying to find something to listen to. "McFly?" she asked, giggling. "Since when were you a 13 year old fangirl?"

"Hey, I like their stuff!" Jeff defended. "And you don't have to listen to it if you don't want."

Quinn raised her eyebrows, pressed the middle button and immediately began mouthing along to the words.

_Went out with the guys,_

_And before my eyes,_

_There was this girl, she looked so fine._

Jeff laughed and joined in.

_And she read my mind,_

_And it read that she was mine,_

_And I said 'Hey, wait up 'cause I'm off to speak to her._

_And my friends said…_

Quinn laughed and shielded her eyes from the sun with her arm. Jeff looked round quickly to see her do this, and pulled out the glove compartment. There were several sunglasses, all of different colours. "Choose one!" he grinned, putting on a pair of light blue ones.

Quinn put on some yellow ones and shut the compartment door. "Why do you have so many?"

"Why not?" he asked as they approached a stop sign. He took this as an appropriate time to strike up conversation with Quinn. "Yellow looks great on you!"

Quinn blushed. "Thank you. Say, what would you think if I cut my hair? Like, really short?"

"I-Why are you asking me? I've only just met you, and besides, my opinion doesn't really matter," he mumbled.

"Of course it matters, why else would I ask you?" she asked, puzzled.

"Oh-okay." Jeff swallowed. "Well then, I-I don't think it'll change anything…"

"How so?"

"Well, you'll still be pretty either way." Jeff was glad that they were at a red light in the shade, so she couldn't see his face.

Quinn was also grateful. She didn't want him to see her turning lobster-red. "Thank you," she squeezed his arm. _Not bad…_ "I just…I don't want to be _that _Quinn any more. The one who gets treated like crap and dates for popularity. I want to put her in the past."

"Good for you! You don't deserve to be treated like that anyway," Jeff smiled. He turned into her street. "What number do you live at?"

"1638. Thanks for giving me a ride home."

"No problem," he grinned. He stopped outside, noting that there weren't any cars out. "Parents not in?" he asked.

"No, they're out until tomorrow evening."

"You sure you'll be okay on your own?" Jeff asked, concerned. "I mean, you seemed pretty upset earlier. I don't want you alone and sad."

Quinn leaned over and hugged the Warbler. "I'll be fine. You really helped me out. Thank you." She kissed his cheek. "Well, I'll see you around…Maybe." She smiled as she got out of the car. "Hopefully," she added as she got to his side of the car again. "Oh, wait, your glasses-"

"Keep 'em. They look better on you," he grinned. "And I'm sure Kurt and Blaine have some kind of magnetic link between them so I'm sure the Warblers will be visiting New Directions quite a lot," he smirked.

Quinn smiled and waved. Jeff waved back, but waited until he'd seen her go in before driving back home. "Jeff? Is that you?" his mom asked as he walked through the door.

"Yeah?" he called back.

"How'd it go?"

"Oh, we lost. Only just, according to Blaine, but the better choir won." Jeff ran up to his room, eager to get changed from these clothes when he heard the Indiana Jones theme tune. The Warblers spent so much time together that they felt it pointless to text each other. So who was texting Jeff?


	2. Texting

A/N: Sorry I didn't start with a disclaimer etc. but I think it's pretty obvious that I _don't_ own Glee, or Riker, or Dianna. Sadly.

I hope you enjoy this chapter! There'll be a few like this where it's just a conversation through texting or IM. I especially like how Jeff saves Quinn's number at first xD

Reviews and prompts are always taken into account! Also if you don't have an account on here, I has a Tumblr (kayleighweasley) and a Twitter (ItsKayleigh)! :D

Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Fr: Unknown<br>****Hey Jeff. :)**

To: Possible Creeper  
>Not to sound rude, but do I know you?<p>

**Fr: Possible Creeper  
><strong>**I think so. This is Jeff Sterling, right?**

To: Possible Creeper  
>That depends on who this is…<p>

**Fr: Possible Creeper  
><strong>**This is Quinn Fabray…Do I have a wrong number?**

To: Quinn  
>Oh, hey! Sorry, but I had to check! XD This is Jeff :]<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**It's fine :) Didn't you recognise the number from when it rang in the auditorium?**

To: Quinn  
>Nope, it was unknown.<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**Oh, okay. I hope you don't mind me texting you, by the way. I just wanted to thank you again.**

To: Quinn  
>Not at all! And you're welcome :] So what are your plans for this weekend?<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**Well, I'm getting my hair cut, like I told you. And that's it. Not like anyone wants to talk to me anymore.**

To: Quinn  
>That's not true! I want to talk to you :3<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**You're sweet. Any news about how long you're staying at Dalton?**

To: Quinn  
>Leaving at spring break. Don't know where I'm transferring to, though.<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**You could always come to McKinley ;)**

To: Quinn  
>Haha, I'd love to, but it's up to my parents.<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**Mommy's boy ;P**

To: Quinn  
>I'm only 16! It's not like I'm still living with my parents at 20 or something…<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**Just wait 4 years. You could get a job as a psychic, 'cause you just predicted the future right ;)**

To: Quinn  
>:O You're mean! At least I won't be some crazy cat lady when I'm 30 ;D And my predictions come true, remember? Ohyeah.<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**I'M the mean one? You just called me crazy! :P**

To: Quinn  
>In the nicest way possible! Besides, the future can be changed…<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**How so?**

To: Quinn  
>Well, if we're both supposedly going to end up alone, then maybe we should compromise. Or something.<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**Are you trying to ask me out?**

To: Quinn  
>That depends on your answer…<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**I'd love to go out with you. Just don't tell everyone. If Glee club finds out I'm dating ex-competition, they'll freak.**

To: Quinn  
>Sweet! :D And no problem. I won't tell a soul :] So what are you doing right now?<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**Nothing really, looking for ideas what to do with my hair. What about you?**

To: Quinn  
>Trying to finish writing this song. I've got the melody for it, I just can't think of the right words.<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**Well, I can't wait to hear it :)**

To: Quinn  
>Oh, you'll be the first to hear it!<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**Really? Not even after your family?**

To: Quinn  
>Depends. If the song's headed the way it is, and if this is headed the way it is, it'll probably be more appropriate to sing it to you.<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**That's so cute. I want to stay and talk to you, but I've got church now, so replies are gonna be slow.**

To: Quinn  
>Not SLOW replies, NO replies. You need to pay attention to sermon! Besides, I have to go to church soon, too. I just didn't want to say goodbye just yet, but if you need to go, that's cool.<p>

**Fr: Quinn  
><strong>**You're the cutest. Talk more tomorrow? x**

To: Quinn  
>I don't even come close to you in cuteness. :] And most definitely :D Bye x<p> 


	3. Meeting the Warblers

A/N: I didn't realise many people read Jeff/Quinn stuff! I'm glad you all like it so far :D Again, reviews/prompts/whatever all taken into account!

Also, I've never read Dalton or anything like that, so the characters' personalities are made up a little.

Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, I wouldn't need to post fanfiction, would I?

I love you guys :3

…

Jeff woke up the next morning a lot happier than he had been in a while. He showered, put on his uniform, and ran down the stairs.

"For someone who lost yesterday, you sure are excited!" his dad noted.

"Yeah, well, you win some and you lose some," Jeff shrugged. His dad passed him a couple of pieces of toast when the front door opened.

"Breakfast? Without me?" Nick, Jeff's best friend frowned as he entered the house.

"Have you ever considered eating at your _own_ house, maybe?" Jeff joked.

"Well, yeah, but I love eating with you guys! Hey, Second-Mom and Second-Dad," he called through the kitchen.

"Hey, Adopted-Son," they called back. This joke had been running since Jeff joined Dalton and had made friends with Nick on the first day. _Don't think about that. Then you'll remember you're leaving and-Aw, crap._

"So, my brother from another mother, ready to go and console Wes, David and Thad from another loss?" Nick put his arm around Jeff's shoulders.

"Huh?" Jeff asked, his mouth still full. "Oh, yeah. Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad! Bye guys!" he called to his siblings.

…

Once they were in homeroom, waiting for the register to be taken, Jeff took out his phone.

**To: Quinn  
>Hey, you :] Bet McKinley are thrilled today, huh? x<strong>

"Who are you texting?" Nick craned his head to see.

"Nobody that you know," Jeff blushed.

…

Quinn was sat in the auditorium, watching as everyone congratulated Rachel on a brilliant performance. She rolled her eyes. _Sure. Congrats, Rachel. We're all so proud of you, Rachel. Even though we go behind your back and spread stuff about you, we'll act like we care, Rachel._ Her phone vibrated in her bag and she took it out. When she saw it was from Jeff, a huge smile swept along her face.

**To: Jeff  
>Hey, yourself :) Well, they're all singing Rachel's praises, so I guess so. How's things over there? x<strong>

**Fr: Jeff  
>The councillors (like the heads of the Warblers) are taking it pretty hard, but we all agreed that we deserved second :D x<strong>

"What are you smiling at, Quinn?" Finn asked.

Quinn snapped back into reality. "Why? Am I not allowed to be happy, now?"

"Well, you weren't very happy for _Rachel_ just now," Finn glared.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm not congratulating the most spoilt member of this choir on taking my boyfriend," Quinn said through gritted teeth.

"Well, that guy who answered your phone-"

"Jeff was just a Warbler who found me upset, and tried to make me feel better. Can I not feel _good_ about myself anymore?" Quinn was close to tears.

"Alright guys, I think we need to just calm down-" Mr Schuester began, but both Finn and Quinn ignored him.

"So, you're saying that whilst we dated, you felt _bad_?"

"Yes! Because no matter how hard I tried, I was never good enough for you! I wasn't your ideal girlfriend because I wasn't Rachel," she sobbed before she ran out of the choir room.

She sat in the girls' toilets when her phone vibrated again.

**Fr: Jeff  
>Are you okay? I didn't get you into trouble, did I? x<strong>

**To: Jeff  
>No, just…Finn and Rachel making me miserable as always. x<strong>

**Fr: Jeff  
>No, don't be sad! I'd come over and hug you but it'd be odd just walking out of History like this. x<strong>

Quinn laughed. Maybe there was someone who thought that she was good enough after all.

**To: Jeff  
>Haha, thank you. That means a lot. :) Hey, are you allowed off school grounds for lunch? x<strong>

**Fr: Jeff  
>Sadly, no :( We're allowed people here, though! You can just say you're visiting Kurt if you don't want these guys to know either x<strong>

"…Quinn? Are-are you in here?" Rachel's voice carried through the whole bathroom. Quinn raised her legs so that she would go away.

"You know what? She ain't gonna come back in for _you_, so you best back away and let the bigger person handle this." Santana burst through the bathroom door. "Quinn, I knows that you're in here. Now you're gonna come out by yourself or I'ma drag you out. I'll do it," she warned.

Quinn rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. She unlocked the door and walked out of it confidently. "There, Santana. Now you don't need to bash any doors down."

"Okay, you best not have been crying over those two lovebirds, 'cause they ain't worth it, alright?" Santana wasn't the best at comforting people – she was always more of the straight talker. "Now hows about you buy me lunch? I ain't got no money on me."

"Actually, Kurt asked me if I wanted to join him at Dalton. Sorry," Quinn apologised.

"Why does Kurt wanna see you?" Santana asked. She raised her eyebrows. "If this is about that Jeff guy you were arguing about-"

Quinn panicked. "No! I guess Kurt heard through Finn and wants to make sure I'm okay. Kurt asked me _himself_," Quinn lied.

"Alrighty, but you better give me all the deets on the guys there. I ain't getting any here from anyone decent, might as well widen my audience, you know?"

Quinn shook her head. "Can we just get back to Glee?"

…

Quinn parked in the Dalton parking lot, and had just gotten out of her car when she was attacked from behind.

"Quinn! It _is_ you! Oh my God, hi! What are you doing here?" Kurt asked, eyes wide.

"Can't I come over and see you now?" Quinn asked, smirking.

"No, of course you can!" Kurt took her hand and led her to the group of people he had left to chase her. "Quinn, that's Blaine – my boyfriend, so don't you _dare_ – David, Wes, Thad, Nick and Jeff! Guys, this is Quinn, she goes to McKinley."

Everyone waved hello and moved so that she could sit. She ended up sitting opposite Jeff, who winked at her. She looked away, blushing and biting her lip.

"So wha brins yu t'Dalhun?" Nick asked, his mouth full of food.

"I'm sorry, what?" Quinn asked.

"He asked what brings you to Dalton," David translated.

"Mmph," Nick made a noise in agreement.

Quinn laughed. "Well, I didn't want to be in the cafeteria where _they_ would be, so I came over to visit Kurt," she explained with a smile.

"Wait, so you don't have any lunch with you?" David asked.

Quinn shook her head, and Jeff immediately rummaged through his bag. "Here! I normally make extra in case Nick gets hungry after his own lunch, but he can go without for one day," he grinned, handing Quinn a sandwich.

"Thanks," Quinn beamed. She took a bite out of it, and moaned in delight. "Oh my God, this is fantastic," she said once she had finished her bite. "Where did you get this bread?"

"Oh, my mom makes it herself," Jeff explained.

"Mommy's boy," she muttered under her breath with a smirk, just loud enough for Jeff to hear it. He laughed.

"So who are you avoiding? Do they need beating up or something?" Nick asked.

Quinn laughed. "Actually…No. Nope, they don't." She sighed. "I found my boyfriend kissing his ex in a closet after Regionals."

"I'll go get the baseball bat," Nick joked.

"Forgive Nick. He can be a tad…Immature," Blaine explained.

"That's why he and Jeff get on so well," Wes laughed.

"Are you calling me a child?" Jeff mocked offence. "Why, I shall have you know that I am quite the…Experienced…Gentleman! Indeed."

"Dude, we said you weren't mature, not that you weren't British. But kudos on the accent," Thad patted Jeff on the back.

"Shut up," Jeff shuffled away from his friends nervously.

"Did we embarrass you, Jeff?" David raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, who wants to play some basketball?" Blaine piped up, changing the subject. Jeff thanked him with a silent nod.

…

"I didn't know Kurt played basketball."

"Oh no, he doesn't. He referees," Jeff explained. He and Quinn were still sat at the same table while the others played.

"Surely you should go and make the teams fair?" Quinn asked.

"Well, alright, if you don't want me to sit with you…" he mumbled.

Quinn looped her arm around his. "You know that's not true." She leant on his arm. "I'm sorry."

"You see, it's things like this that are going to determine your status as crazy cat lady," Jeff teased.

"Hey!" Quinn unravelled herself and hit him on the arm. "And it's things like that which is going to determine you living with your parents forever, because nobody will want to live with you."

"Okay, fine, I'm sorry. Forgive me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You're forgiven," Quinn smiled.

"Sweet!" Jeff grinned. "Oh! And I owe you a hug, remember?" He looked over to make sure none of the guys saw, and hugged Quinn. Her hair smelt good.

Quinn liked the way he hugged. It was firm, but not _too_ firm. It gave her the sense of protection she needed from people.

Jeff suddenly pulled back. "Sorry. Kurt was about to look in our direction and he'd spot something like this a mile off," he laughed.

"It's fine," Quinn said, a little disappointed that it was over.

"But we can hug all we want on Saturday night!" Jeff grinned.

"What's happening then?" Quinn asked.

"I'm taking you out, silly! I-If you _want_ that, that is, I mean…" he trailed off.

Quinn glanced over at the boys and kissed Jeff on the cheek. "You know that I want to."

"Oh, okay. Awesome," he beamed, turning so that Quinn wouldn't see one cheek turn furiously red.

The boys were finishing. Quinn and Jeff immediately shuffled apart.

"We haven't interrupted anything, have we?" Kurt asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Not really," Quinn shrugged as Jeff opened his mouth to speak. "We were just talking about the sort of music each other like."

"Oh yeah?" Nick asked. "What's Jeff's favorite band?"

"McFly," she couldn't help but giggle. "I'm sorry, Jeff, but that's just too funny."

"Can't a guy like a boy band?" Jeff yelled, exasperated. Everyone laughed.

"Well, as much as I'd love to hear about Jeff's secret life as a teenage girl, I'm gonna have to head back to school," Quinn smirked.

"Well, it was nice meeting you," David outstretched his hand, and Quinn took it. She shook hands with Wes, David, Blaine and Thad, and hugged Kurt. She was about to shake Nick's hand when he pulled her into a hug, too.

Quinn laughed as he released her. "What was that for?"

"Nick's a little...How can I put this?" Thad mused. "He's a lot more _approachable_ than most of us."

"That's why he and Jeff are such good friends. They're like puppies," Kurt smirked.

"In that case, I better get the same treatment as my fellow canine!" Jeff smiled, holding his arms out. Quinn hugged him again, and Jeff squeezed her a little. "See you tomorrow," he whispered into her ear.

"What was that, Jeff?" Blaine asked.

"I was just saying she should come by again. Unlike most of you, she makes good company," Jeff teased.

"Hey, we're good enough company! Right?" Nick pouted at his best friend.

Jeff laughed. "You're the worst of the bunch! Nah, I'm messing. Love you really, man!"

"Aw, come here, man!" Nick said, faking a teary voice. He ran and hugged his best friend. "Oh, and you can totally come back _any time_ you want," he grinned at Quinn.

Quinn smiled. "Thanks. Might just do that. Well, bye, guys!" She waved and went over to her car.

They all waved her off. "Think I'm in there?" Nick asked Jeff, raising his eyebrows.

Jeff shrugged. He didn't want to think about anyone else dating her. He really liked her and she seemed to like him. _This whole secrecy thing is gonna kill me_.

His phone buzzed from his back pocket.

**Fr: Quinn  
>Thanks for today. I had fun. :D x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Yeah, they all seem to like you! Not bad :P x<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>They all seem nice, too. You and Nick seem close. Must be nice to have someone like that. x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Wait, shouldn't you be driving? x<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Tbh, I'm only round the corner. I can't face McKinley right now. x<strong>

Jeff ran out of the gates. "Hey, where are you going?" Kurt yelled, but Jeff kept running. He stopped when he reached Quinn, and bent down so that his head was poking through the open window.

"Look, Quinn, you're awesome. I really, _really _like you. Those others, they like you too. I had Nick ask me if he thought you'd like him, for crying out loud! Look, tomorrow is going to be the best day of your life, I'll make sure of it. Just think about all those things, okay? Please." Jeff pleaded.

"You're really good at the whole saying everything before someone else can thing, aren't you?" Quinn laughed.

"I have _four_ siblings. If you don't say it fast, you don't say it at all!" Jeff laughed. "So, what do you say? It's only one afternoon to get through, after all." He reached in and squeezed her hand.

Quinn laughed at his anecdote. "Alright," she said, squeezing back. "I guess if it'll make you happy, then-"

"Oh, no, I don't want you to do this for _me_! Well, partially, because I'll feel bad knowing you feel bad…" he rambled but he shook his head. "But I want you to do this for _you_! Go in there and-and you show that Finn guy that you are the new Quinn Fabray and you totally _rock_!"

Quinn laughed. "Thanks, Jeff. I will," she smiled. "See you tomorrow."

"That you will!" he said, adding a small salute as she drove off.

He ran back into the grounds to astonished faces. "What was that?" Wes asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh, my cat. She's been missing for a while and I thought that was her. Chased that sucker for 6 blocks before I realised it was the wrong gender."

Kurt patted Jeff's shoulder. "You'll find your cat."

As they all walked back, Jeff was trying all he could to stifle laughter. If they could believe that, they'd believe anything. He whipped out his phone once more.

**To: Quinn  
>Remember to kick ass! I wanna hear all about it tomorrow :3 x<strong>


	4. Meeting Beth

A/N: These chapters just keep getting longer! The next one's going to be really angsty, so as a result of that, so might the next few chapters. I don't really know what else to say now.

Disclaimer: If you honestly think I own Glee, you need a new brain.

Enjoy!

…

Quinn had barely stepped foot into the hallways of McKinley when Finn confronted her. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked her.

"I went to go and see the only person I know who's as far away from this as possible," she replied calmly.

"…Your mom?" Finn asked, confused.

"Kurt! Your _stepbrother_?"

"Oh yeah. So what did you tell him?"

Quinn raised her eyebrows. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Finn turned so he was directly in front of her. "Tell me. What you told him."

"Fine. I told him about you cheating on me with Rachel. We didn't have much time to catch up because he introduced me to his friends. He made me feel _welcome_ around them. Every time you were with the football team, you'd just say," she put on a mock voice, "'Oh, can it wait? Puck's got something interesting to say, unlike you, because you're not important, you're just my girlfriend.'"

"When have I _ever_ said that?" Finn yelled.

"You didn't have to. You know, those Dalton guys, Blaine, Wes, Thad, David, Nick, Jeff," she paused a little longer after Jeff's name, "they made me feel important and I'm not even dating any of them."

"Oh, yeah, your precious freaking Jeff," Finn scoffed.

"He's _not_ mine! I am my own person, as is he. We're just good friends," _for now_, she mentally added. "You know, sometimes, boys and girls can just be friends."

"Right. So why can't you be cool with Rachel and I?"

"How do you expect me to be 'cool' with you _cheating_ on me with her? You're such an _idiot_, Finn," she sighed exasperatedly.

"If I'm such an idiot, why did you date me?" Finn asked as they reached Quinn's locker. He leant against the one next to it.

She opened her locker and started transferring books. "That was the old Quinn. That was the Quinn who craved popularity, who just wanted someone to love her. Now I'm different. I'm changing. For the better. I don't need you anymore, Finn." She slammed her locker shut and walked away, feeling proud of herself.

…

When Quinn got home, she was going to write tomorrow as an important date on her calendar, but when she looked, her heart sank. Today was Beth's first birthday. She'd forgotten in all the excitement. She took her phone out and found Jeff's number. It only rang once before he'd picked up.

"Hi, this is Jeff Sterling."

"Jeff, it's me. Quinn."

"Oh, hey, Quinn! You really need to take your number off of withheld. How are you?"

"Can you come over to mine? Like, now?"

"Of course!" Jeff hung up immediately and within five minutes was knocking on Quinn's door. "Hey!" he smiled as she opened the door for him. "What's up?"

"Can we talk about this upstairs?" she asked quietly.

"Er…Sure," Jeff nodded. _Why did it have to be upstairs?_

Quinn sat on her bed and couldn't help but begin to sob. Jeff sat next to her and put his arms around her. He gently rocked her until she calmed down. "You don't even know what's wrong with me," Quinn said thickly.

"That doesn't matter for now. Right now, you're crying, so my main priority is to stop you from doing that. Yet another rule of being a gentleman," he smiled.

Quinn smiled, too. "You're really sweet, you know that? An-And this was nice while it lasted."

Jeff's face fell. "Are you-I mean, what have I-Have I done something to offend you?"

"No! Not at all." She looked up to face him. "No, it's not something you've done. I just…I need to tell you something and I know you're going to freak out and leave when I do."

"Quinn, I ran straight to your car when you said you couldn't face seeing the others again. It's going to have to be pretty shocking to get me to think of you badly."

"But…It is." She sighed. "When I was dating Finn last year, he was out with his mom visiting family. My parents were out. Puck – that's Finn's best friend – came to my house and he got me drunk on wine coolers and…" She pointed at a photo she had of a baby on her bedside table.

Jeff, a little shell-shocked, picked it up. "This-This is…"

"Mine and Puck's baby. Her name is Beth and it's her birthday today."

Jeff sat there for a few minutes, staring at the picture. He set it down on the bed and got off it. "Come on, then," he said, offering his hand out.

"What?" Quinn asked, sniffing.

"_Well_, if I were Beth, I'd want my birth mom to be there on my birthday, with a super awesome present that my mom and her new friend picked out specially for me," he said with a gentle smile.

"You're-You're _okay_ with this?" Quinn's eyes widened.

"For now, you're my friend, the old Quinn. On Saturday, you're gonna be the new kick-ass girl I'm taking out on a date. So, as my friend, I'm gonna be there for you and Beth," he beamed.

Quinn got up and hugged him tightly. He returned it just as much. "Nobody's ever been this nice to me," she said into his shirt.

"Well, that sucks!" he frowned. "Why the heck not?"

Quinn laughed. "You haven't _seen _me at McKinley, Jeff. I'm one of the bitchiest girls there."

"You _used_ to be. Now you're going to be the most awesome girl there, right?"

Quinn laughed. "Right. Thanks, Jeff. You know how to cheer me up."

Jeff grinned at her. "Now are we going to get your daughter the most amazing present she could ever have that can be bought on the budget of two teenagers?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Quinn took it, giggling. "Hell yeah, we are!"

"See? _That's_ the girl I'm taking out," he said as they walked down the stairs.

…

"Quinn!" Shelby exclaimed as she opened the front door. "Oh gosh, I was hoping you could make it! Come in! Oh, and you too, er…"

"Jeff," he introduced himself, outstretching his hand.

Shelby shook it. "Jeff. Come in! I'm Shelby, by the way. Beth's just through there," she gestured to the closest door to them that was inside the house.

Quinn hesitated before opening the door. Jeff gave her an encouraging look and she smiled as she opened it. Beth was crawling around the room, trying to find something to do. Quinn could feel tears sting her eyes as she saw her daughter again. Jeff saw and put his arm around her. "You can tell she's your daughter," he murmured. Quinn smiled up at him, and slowly approached the baby.

"Hi, Beth. I'm Quinn. I'm your birth mommy, but you can call me Quinn," she smiled. "Look what Jeff and I got you! That's Jeff over there, by the way," she pointed. She knew Beth couldn't understand, but she still talked as if the child could. She waved Jeff over to approach Beth.

"Hey, Beth," Jeff cooed. "Look what we've got for you." He took out the toy they had both picked out. Quinn had had the same toy as a baby, but she still kept it for sentimental reasons, so Jeff suggested they buy Beth the same.

The little girl immediately grabbed at it. It was a toy rabbit, and she was grabbing it by the ears and shaking it.

"And people wonder why I don't have pets," Shelby laughed, making both teenagers jump a little. They hadn't heard her come in. "Do you two want something to eat or drink?"

"Can I just have some water, please?" Jeff asked.

"I'll come with you," Quinn offered, standing up. The women went into the kitchen together. "So," Shelby began, "are you and Jeff…"

"Oh no, we're just friends," she explained.

"Well, he seems to think the world of you. And Beth seems to like him," she smiled, pointing to where they could see Jeff from there. He was making the rabbit nuzzle Beth, and she was laughing. "It was sweet of you to get her that."

Quinn smiled at her. "My first word was 'rabbit', according to my parents. We were at a farm and some little boy was moaning about how he couldn't take one of the rabbits home and I just said _rabbit_. That day, my parents bought me a toy one, just like that, and I still have it. And I thought if Beth had one too, then…" Quinn couldn't finish the sentence.

"Well, thank you for it. It was nice of you to think of something as sentimental as that," Shelby patted Quinn's shoulder. They both looked back over to see Jeff crawling next to Beth, racing her. "I think we should go and rescue him," Shelby laughed.

"Him? We should go save Beth!" Quinn laughed.

When they got back to the front room, Jeff was laying on his back, carrying Beth above him. "Are you an airplane now, or a rocket ship?" he asked, oblivious to the others coming in. Beth was giggling until she let out a burp. Jeff brought her closer to him. "Did you just burp? Did you?" he cooed. Quinn couldn't help laughing and he sat up, blushing, and put Beth in his lap. "Sorry," he laughed. "It's been a while since I've seen a baby, now that my younger siblings are all older too. Oh, I'm clapping now, am I?" he asked as Beth grabbed his wrists and moved them so that he was clapping.

Quinn laughed. "Can I…Could I-?"

Jeff picked Beth up and stood up. He passed her to Quinn gently, supporting the baby's head. "That's it, you're only going to Quinn," he soothed.

Beth looked up at Quinn with the same eyes as her mother. Quinn bounced her gently as she swayed. "Hey, you," she said. Beth smiled when Quinn spoke to her, and Quinn couldn't find it in her to say anything more. She just held her child for a while before she felt something get heavier. "Oh God, I think Beth's gone and…"

"Yeah, I think she has, too," Shelby laughed. "I can smell it. I'll just get her changed and then I can cook dinner. Are you two joining us or..?"

"That's nice of you, but we'd better go," Quinn smiled. She kissed Beth on the cheek and passed her back to Shelby. "Bye, Beth," she whispered.

Jeff stroked the little girl's hair. "See you later, kid," he smiled softly.

When they were in the car, Jeff squeezed Quinn's hand. "Beth's beautiful," he smiled. "Not that I'm surprised, considering you're her mother."

Quinn blushed. "Thanks. You were great with her," she said, rubbing her thumb against his hand.

"Well, when you've had four babies in the house, you get used to them," he laughed.

"I just-" Tears were starting to form in her eyes. "I just can't believe you. Not in a bad way, I'm not trying to insult you," she hurried when Jeff's face fell. "You're just…You're not judging me, and you weren't awkward about all of that, and…I've _cheated_, Jeff. I cheated and I got pregnant. And you know all that and you _still_ want to talk to me?"

Jeff put his arm around her. "Why wouldn't I? I mean, look at me. I'm a total sci-fi nerd, if you went into my room, you'd see so much dorkiness that you'd totally be put off by me. I've only had one girlfriend ever, and she dumped me as soon as someone better came along. Nick's always been a hit with girls, and whilst he's at parties getting all of them, I'm stuck sat in a corner. Yet look, here I am, with the prettiest girl in Lima in my car. This stuff doesn't happen to me. I don't care if you're responsible for half the population of Ohio, you're still a great person and you don't deserve any of the crap you've been given."

Quinn turned her head and kissed him. Jeff, surprisingly, fell into it quite naturally. His hand slinked away from her back and onto her neck. His thumb brushed along her jawline as his eyes closed. He pulled away slowly to look at her, and she whimpered slightly. He laughed quietly and pulled her back in for another kiss. This one was more passionate; Jeff turned his head to deepen the kiss, and she moaned a little. He smiled against her mouth and they both pulled away.

They were both blushing furiously. "I'm sorry," Quinn apologised.

"Don't be sorry," he chuckled, still stroking her cheek. "You have no reason to be. I kissed you as well, didn't I?"

"Well, yeah, but…We haven't even gone on our first date yet and…Well, I like you. A lot, and I didn't _want _to rush things." Quinn looked down at her feet.

Jeff tucked her hair behind one ear. "I really like you, too," he smiled bashfully. "And to be honest, I'm kinda glad you kissed me now, 'cause I could just see myself never deciding when to kiss you on Saturday, and knowing me, I probably never would."

Quinn smiled, biting her lip. "So what's happening tomorrow?"

"I can't tell you _everything_, it'll ruin it! Just meet me outside Breadstix at 7, okay?" Jeff looked out of Quinn's window and laughed. "We should probably get going. Shelby will wonder why we haven't left this spot yet."

Quinn laughed. "Yeah, we should. And I'll meet you outside Breadstix at 7," she smiled.

Jeff pulled into her road once again and parked outside her house. "Awesome. See you then!" He kissed Quinn on the cheek, making her turn red and she hid her face with her hair. "Hey, I think it's cute when you go all red like that," he said, patting her on the knee.

Quinn smiled up at him before getting out of the car. "I'll see you tomorrow!" she called.

"That you will!" he replied before driving back home again.


	5. Visitors

A/N: This almost killed me to write, but I just love a bit of angst! Poor Jeffy though :( Again, sorry for lack of posting, but I hope you guys like these! Especially this one, I don't normally _write_ angst, I just read it.

Disclaimer: My name is neither Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan or Brad Falchuk. It's Kayleigh. Is there a Kayleigh in the credits for Glee? Not that I know of. Even if there is, it's not me. I'll stop rambling now.

…

Jeff stood there, whistling to himself. He twiddled the rose he was holding in his fingers. _She's on her way. She was probably held up or something. There might have been a crash – oh my God, she might have been injured! _He got his phone out and selected the app that showed any kind of delays on a particular route. He tapped in the route from Quinn's to Breadstix, but it said there were no known delays.

A clock tower somewhere chimed 8 o'clock. Jeff sighed. He'd officially been stood up. He saw another guy waiting. "You waiting for a girl?" he asked the man. The man nodded, looking at Jeff questionably. "Here." Jeff passed the flower onto him. "Hope it works out for you, man."

…

Quinn had woken up that morning earlier than planned. She had a lot to do that day anyway. She was going to the salon, and she wanted to get herself something nice to wear for that night. But her mom had come in and woken her up, saying that there was a guy at the door. Thinking it was Jeff, she bounded down the stairs. She was greeted by Finn Hudson. "What do you want, Finn?"

"Can we talk?" he asked.

Quinn sighed, and opened the door wider, indicating that he could come in.

"Quinn, sweetie, your dad and I are off out. Be good!" her mother called.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Bye, Mom!" She turned to Finn. "Now what do you want?"

"I want to apologise. I was an absolute jerk for cheating on you, you're so right. But we're _good_ together, we work. Rachel just wants someone to compliment her all the time, and I never know just how to please her, but with you, I've always known. And come on. Together, we were popular again. You're not really going to throw that away, are you?"

…

Monday. The whole of New Directions thought that it would be good to visit Kurt, as Quinn had done on the Friday (or so they thought). Quinn had completely forgotten about Jeff, because her and Finn had become the most talked about couple at McKinley, and she just got such a _buzz_ from that.

When the Warblers saw them all walking up to the doors from the window, the first thing Blaine noticed was Finn and Quinn. He nudged Thad and pointed. "Look at that."

"Look at what?"

"Quinn and Kurt's stepbrother. Looks like they're pretty close again," Blaine noted.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Nick asked.

Blaine chuckled. "You're so clueless. Did you not see how Jeff acted around Quinn? How she acted around him?"

"Wait…Jeff likes _Quinn_? How did I not notice this?" Kurt's eyes widened.

"I don't know, but on Friday, it looked kinda mutual," Blaine shrugged.

"What a jerk," David muttered, and everyone else nodded their agreement.

Jeff was only in the next room. He was clearing his locker of everything he didn't need for the next week. He was leaving on Friday. He'd seen them through the window, too, and his chest sunk like a ton of bricks. He could hear the others in the next room and felt a tiny bit better knowing that they didn't appreciate Quinn's choice either.

When New Directions came bounding in, Finn immediately walked up to Kurt. "Hey, Kurt. Ah, I was wondering. Seeing as it's your turn to cook tonight, do you mind cooking for five?"

"I'm cooking for _three_ tonight," he replied coldly. "Unless Blaine's coming too?"

"Sounds good," Blaine nodded.

"Wait, are Mom and Burt going out for dinner then?" Finn asked.

"Oh, no. I'm cooking for Dad, Carole, Blaine and I," Kurt said coolly.

"Wait, why don't I get anything?" Finn's voice grew louder.

"Say, Rachel, how are you coping with all of this?" Blaine asked, gesturing towards Finn and Quinn.

"I-I don't know," she squeaked.

"Pretty heartbroken, would you say?" Blaine asked. Rachel looked at the couple fearfully. "It's alright, Rachel. You can tell me. I'm sure at least Quinn will understand. I mean," he emphasised his voice a little, "it's not like Quinn told someone she liked them and then ran off to _her_ ex, is it?" Quinn's jaw dropped.

"Wait, what are they talking about?" Finn asked her.

Quinn shook her head. "Oh…Nothing."

"That's what I am to you?" came a voice from the door. Jeff was there, bags under his eyes from lack of sleep, bag on his back. "You know what? I kind of expected to like a girl who said she liked me back just to get to my best friend. I expected to like a girl who would humiliate me in front of Dalton completely because she didn't like me back. But I never expected a girl to tell me she liked me, agree to go on a date with me, tell me all about her freakin' illegitimate child, kiss me, and then stand me up for the guy who I'd confronted for you in the first place when you were crying your eyes out over him!"

Quinn started shaking. "Wait, Jeff, you don't understand-"

"Oh, no. I understand just fine. You chose the more popular guy over me. You chose the guy who would make you look good rather than the one who actually cared about you. You know how much I freaked out internally when you told me about Beth? Yet still _I_ went with you to that store and _I_ took you to go and see her again. I was the one who waited a whole hour in front of Breadstix getting looks of pity from everyone because they all knew you'd stood me up. Look, I don't know much about girls. All I've learnt from movies is that all cheerleaders are bitchy, but when I met you, you said you were going to change. And I believed you because I thought you were going to. But no, clearly you would much rather be with the guy who probably has posters of half-naked women in his room instead of the one with Harry freakin' Potter ones." He turned to his friends. "Well…I'll see you in classes. Good luck at Nationals, guys," he said to the other members of New Directions.

"Wait, it's only lunchtime though…" Artie noted.

"Well yeah, but I need to go and start packing. I said I wasn't going to be at Dalton much longer. I start my new school after spring break."

"Packing? Where are you going?" Quinn asked.

"What's it to you?" he asked, not making eye contact with her.

"Hey! Answer her," Finn growled.

Jeff sighed. "Fine. My parents are moving us all to Michigan. They said that they just wanted a change of scenery and if anyone had a genuine reason to oppose, then we could stay."

"Wait, how do you mean, a 'genuine reason'?" Finn asked.

"Well, y'know. School's not a problem because we can just transfer. But if there was something – or some_**one**_ – else keeping us here, then we could stay. I was going to speak up, but nothing had been confirmed yet. And then the one person who could have stopped this happening decided that she preferred jackasses."

"You're still coming to the dance though, right? Last chance to hang out together?" Nick asked.

"Thanks, man, but I'll pass. Last time I went to that dance, that Caitlin girl I was dating dumped me for you. There's a reason I don't go anymore. I don't want to be embarrassed further. Was kinda hoping to, though, before I was potential-date-less."

"Okay, fine, Quinn chose me over you. Stop acting like some whiny little teenage girl and man up, for crying out loud!" Finn yelled.

Jeff swallowed. "Alright then. I won't stand in the way of…Whatever you want to call this." He walked straight past them and headed for the door.

"Sweet as it was for you guys to visit me," Kurt tried to keep an even tone, "I think you should all leave."


	6. Apologising

A/N: The fluffer in me can't last more than one chapter without any kind of romance, so enjoy this lovely making-up chapter. Last of three that I'm posting today, but I'm currently writing the next one! Again, I don't mind prompts, either on here, or on my Tumblr (kayleighweasley) or Twitter (ItsKayleigh) :)

…

Jeff's phone screen currently read as

**16 missed calls from Quinn**

**9 voicemail messages from Quinn**

**22 texts from Quinn**

He couldn't bear to talk to her. He threw his clothes into his suitcase; he didn't care about the order they went in. His mother walked in on him doing this.

"Jeff Sterling! Just what do you think you're doing? Fold these correctly, please!" She saw his expression. "Jeffy, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," Jeff grumbled. "Just that every good thing gets taken away from me somehow."

"Are you talking about us moving? Because-"

"No, Mom. It's not that." He sighed. "This girl told me she liked me, kissed me and then stood me up for her ex-boyfriend. That's where I was on Saturday."

"Oh, Jeff. Come here." She pulled him in for a hug. James knocked on Jeff's door.

"Hey, Jeff? There's a girl waiting for you. Says it's urgent."

Jeff took a deep breath in, thanked his brother and went down the stairs to see Quinn sat on his chair (in the family, everyone had their own 'chair' along with the couch), eyes red and puffy. He sat on the floor opposite her. "Why are _you_ crying?"

"Because I realised you were right. It's not Finn that makes me feel good, it's everyone else talking about Finn and I. And I just got so caught up in what he was saying to me about being McKinley's top couple again and…I went back to being the old Quinn. But when I'm with you…You make me feel good. You treat me as if I'm important. Nobody else has ever done that."

Jeff's cold exterior melted. "But you _are_ important! Everyone's important to someone, at least. And you are to me."

A faint 'Aww!' could be heard in the background. Jeff looked around to the closed kitchen door. He signalled to Quinn as if to say 'Excuse me a moment', crept up to the door, bent down a little and banged on it really hard. Several 'Ow!'s and 'Oh, my head!'s came from the other side of the door. He ran back to her. "Sorry. There are some times that I wish I were an only child."

"It gets lonely," she smiled. "I don't…Get it, though. Why are you still being nice to me even though I did all of that to you?"

"Because I really _do_ care about you, Quinn." He put one hand on her cheek, holding it. "And when you care about someone this much, you don't want to let them go."

"But you said you were going to-"

"Mom, are we staying?" Jeff yelled.

"Of course we are!" came the response from upstairs. Quinn and Jeff laughed and he knelt up to kiss her. She grabbed onto his shirt and leant backwards, pulling him onto the chair, too. He put his legs either side of her and his hands on her neck, gently nibbling at her bottom lip. She gasped, and he slipped his tongue into her open mouth.

They embraced like this for what seemed like hours before his siblings finally had to leave the kitchen. The sound of the door startled the pair, but they didn't break eye contact. "So," Quinn said, running her hands through his hair, "are you still looking for a date to this dance thing?"

"Yeah, I was gonna ask you about that, is that Rachel girl seeing anyone?" he laughed.

Quinn hit him playfully. "Jerk!"

"Okay, fine. Quinn I-don't-know-your-middle-name Fabray, will you go to the spring dance with me?"

"Actually, my middle name's Quinn. And I'd love to," she smiled.

"Your name is Quinn Quinn Fabray?" Jeff laughed.

"Nope. I used to be Lucy Quinn Fabray. Back in middle school, I was the fat girl with ears that stuck out and braces. The kind of girl nobody wants to know. But then when Dad offered me a new look to boost my confidence, I just _couldn't_ say no. I wanted to know what it was like to have friends, you know?" Jeff nodded. "You must think I'm even worse now," she frowned.

"Not at all. In fact, I think you're very brave, doing something like that." He kissed the top of her head. "Here, come with me." He took her hand and led her up to his room. There was a sign on it that read, "Jeff's room. You must be this awesome to enter." along with a scale that had an arrow pointing to the green sector labelled 'Totally Awesome'. Quinn held in her laughter as they entered Jeff's room.

There were posters all over the walls, of all kinds; from X-Men to Harry Potter to Doctor Who to Supernatural to Scott Pilgrim to Kick-Ass to Buffy to Star Wars and even a flow chart which, if followed, read the lyrics to Hey Jude by the Beatles. Quinn smiled at it. "Your room's…Nice," she commented.

"No it's not, it's dorky as hell. Anyway, c'mere, there's something I want to show you." Jeff sat on the bed and pulled something out of a drawer. Quinn sat next to him and he passed her this…Scrapbook? Notebook? "You can open it if you want, you know," he chuckled.

Quinn opened it to find pictures of Jeff with his family and friends, and with little scribbles describing the events happening in the pictures. "This is cute," she smiled.

"Yeah…That's my 'good day' book." He pulled out a second book. "This," he said, passing it to her, "is my 'bad day' book."

Quinn looked through it, starting around halfway through. This book was a lot more filled than the other one, all with negative experiences. There were pictures of a younger Jeff with another girl. They both look fairly happy in them. "Is this you and Caitlin?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jeff replied bitterly. "I transferred those from the good book during freshman year. It's worse before this, though." He took the book from her and flicked to around the beginning. "See? This was the reason I moved to Dalton. I couldn't face this any longer." He handed the book back to Quinn.

She read one of the accounts:

_Got hit again today. I don't get why these people don't like me. What's a nerd? According to my dad, it's a smart person, but he always says smart is a good thing. If it is, why do I get black eyes daily? Why do I always get pushed into lockers, down stairs, into mud?_

"Oh, Jeff," she whispered as she read on. She rested her head against his chest, and he stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. It's not like you did those things, or could have done something to stop them. Besides, I tend to write in my good book a lot more now. Read some of the more recent posts," he urged, smiling.

Quinn took the other book again and flicked towards the back.

_So today I met this girl. Her name is Quinn Fabray and she's INSANELY cute. She has dark brown eyes, but there's little bits of yellow in them. You can only notice that in the light, though. She has the most amazing smile, too. And she's been through a lot, by the sounds of things, but she said she wants to move on. Just like me after the whole Caitlin thing. _

_And now she's just been texting me this whole time and I didn't recognise her number so I had it saved as Possible Creeper so I feel bad. But I had to be sure! Oh my God, she is so perfect and she thinks I'm sweet and stuff but she's way too cool for me. I'm in way over my head._

She read some more, her smile widening with every paragraph, and turned the page. On one page were three words:

_SHE KISSED ME!_

Quinn broke out into a fit of giggles. "This is the cutest thing ever," she said, resting her head on Jeff's shoulder. "_You're_ the cutest thing ever." She climbed into his lap and curled up a little.

He instinctively put his arms around her and pressed his lips to her neck. "Now, I can't be the cutest thing ever, because my name isn't Lucy Quinn Fabray." He kissed her neck, and she rolled her head back.

"You honestly don't mind me changing myself?" she asked him.

"How many times do I have to say yes for it to sink in? Of course I don't mind. I still really like you, whether you're Lucy, or Quinn, or…Matthew," he laughed.

"Okay, I may have had a lot of secrets, but I've definitely always been a girl," she giggled.

"Okay. Awesome," he smiled, his mouth still against her neck. She loved the feeling of him on her throat. "So…Tomorrow night, can I be sure that you'll meet me there or shall I pick you up?" he joked.

"Ooh, I don't know, I think _Matthew's_ got a date that night, too," she teased.

"Well, then I'll pick Lucy up before Matthew has a chance," he growled playfully, tickling her sides.

Quinn squirmed, turned herself so that she was straddling him, and put her arms around his neck. "I won't say no to you picking me up, but I did _not_ say you could tickle me!"

Jeff pouted. "I'm sorry, baby. Forgive me?" he asked, slinking his arms around her waist.

Quinn beamed. "Only because I love the way you call me baby." She kissed his nose.

"You're so _cute_, you know that?" he beamed. "Oh, and would you mind if I still called you Quinn, or are you going to change your name again now that you're becoming the new, kick-ass you?"

"Well, I'm kinda running out of names," Quinn laughed. "And I think people would notice if I started calling myself Fabray."

Jeff laughed. "True, very true." He sighed contentedly. "I feel like the luckiest guy alive right now. Who would have thought that I, Jeff…Leonard – Don't laugh! – Sterling would be here, holding the girl of my – and probably other guys' – dreams?"

Quinn hugged Jeff, resting her head on his shoulder. "So you definitely aren't leaving?"

"Nah, there was nothing concrete about us moving. We were just gonna stay with family up there until we found a house. I'll just have to go to a different school over here."

"So there's a possibility you'll be at McKinley?" Quinn asked, getting excited.

"I might be!" Jeff grinned.

They sat, just looking at each other, for a while before Quinn couldn't help it any more. "_Leonard_?"

"I don't know why either!" Jeff defended. "None of my family are called Leonard. I think my parents wanted to torture me."

"I think it's cute. In a dorky way. Just like you," she pressed her forehead against his lightly.

Jeff smiled. "Well, I think Lucy is an adorable name, so it suits you perfectly." He rubbed his nose against hers, and she giggled.

"Oh God, is that the time?" she said, eyes widening as she looked at the clock on the wall. "I'm so sorry, Jeff-"

"Hey, it's not a problem," he smiled. "You go back home, and I'll pick you up at 7 tomorrow. Just don't have dinner, okay?"

"Okay. So are we going to Breadstix then? Only I still have a-"

"Quinn," he cut in, "we won't need anything for Breadstix. That's all I'm saying. So come on, I'll walk you home."

…

They were walking together, _really close_ together. Jeff's hand kept brushing alongside Quinn's, but he didn't know if he should take it or not. He decided to risk it and slipped his hand so it was barely on her palm. He bit his lip and looked sideways at her.

She looked at him, and then down at their hands. She smiled shyly and took his hand. She swung their arms a little as they walked. "This feels nice," she smiled.

"It does, doesn't it?" he beamed back. "It feels kinda…Right." His face filled with colour. "I-I mean…"

Quinn kissed his cheek. "Don't worry. I think it feels right, too." She leant her head against his arm, and he then put that arm around her, kissing the top of her head.

They got to her house eventually, and he stood so that he was facing her, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "This is where I leave you now," he said sadly.

Quinn tiptoed and kissed him lightly. "I'll see you tomorrow, still, won't I?"

"Of course you will!" he exclaimed. He pulled her in for a hug, running his hand down her hair and smelling it. "You smell nice," he said quietly into her ear.

She grinned. "You feel nice," she giggled.

"Why thank you," he said as they pulled apart. "My mom only uses the finest of fabric softeners."

Quinn laughed. "_Total_ mommy's boy," she poked him in the ribs.

"Oh, you didn't just go there!" he said, and he lunged after her. Laughing, she ran further down her garden and he chased after her. They ran around for a few minutes before Jeff finally caught her. He put his arms around her and whirled her around, causing a fit of giggles from her part.

She crouched down so that Jeff lost his balance and they fell onto the grass, laughing. "Fine, I take it back. You're not a _total_ mommy's boy. Maybe just a little," she teased.

"Now _that_, I will agree with," he smirked as he sat up, tapping her on the nose. He sighed happily. "I really like you, Quinn. I've never felt _anything _like this before. You just…I still don't get how _you_ like _me_."

Quinn sat up and knelt so that she was eye-level with him. "Jeff Leonard Sterling, I like you because you're funny, you're cute, you're sweet, and you're smart. You're everything every girl wants in a guy. And I know that that Caitlin girl tried to use you, but you haven't said anything about her actually _going out_ with Nick-"

"She didn't, for the record," Jeff interrupted, shaking his head. "Nick wouldn't go near her after he heard what happened."

"See? You have good friends, which shows you're a great person. And just…Sometimes, I wish _you_ could see what I do," she stroked his cheek. "That other girl, she was just there to show you that there are really bitchy people out there, but there are some who really care about you, too."

Jeff smiled. "Well, there _is_ a girl that I really care about, but she's totally out of my league. I mean, she's beautiful, she's popular…She's the kind of girl every girl wants to be and every guy wants to date."

Quinn grinned bashfully. "Not _totally_ out of your league." She kissed him gently once, and again. "Now I really better go, and so should you. It's getting dark. I'll worry about you."

"I'll be just fine," he soothed, taking her hand and stroking it. "I will see you tomorrow evening…Lucy." He took her hand and kissed it before setting off back home.


	7. First Date

A/N: Sorry about the time it took to write this! D: I hope you like it anyway. If you like Finn's character, though, look away now. There's some serious douche!Finn here.

I didn't come up with the names for the employees! They were given to me on Tumblr by Juliane (theparseltonguehorcrux) and Elena (elliarya) :D

EDIT: Yes, I originally wrote Riker instead of Jeff on one occasion. It's fixed now. Okay?

Enjoy!

…

Jeff had only knocked once on the door of Quinn's house before the door flew open. "I saw your car," Quinn giggled. She was wearing a yellow dress that came to her knees; he was wearing a light blue dress shirt and jeans.

Jeff stood still, completely frozen in awe. "Y-you-your _hair_!"

"Don't you like it?" she said. She'd finally gone after school to get her hair cut – it was now just above her shoulders. She ran her fingers through it nervously.

Jeff took her hand from her head and interlinked their fingers. "Nope. I _love_ it," he pulled her closer and twirled her round. "Also, I said you look good in yellow," he grinned.

"And you're wearing light blue again! That's my favorite color on you," she smiled. "Now come on, I want to know where you're taking me!"

"All shall be revealed," Jeff teased, leading her down the path once she'd closed the door.

"You sound like my friend, Sam. I think you both will get along very well," Quinn laughed.

"Sam…Which one was he?" he asked as he held the car door open for her.

She smiled as she got inside, and waited for Jeff to get in the other side. "The blonde guy."

"Ah, yeah! I remember him. He's a good singer, too," he nodded, smiling.

Quinn spotted another pair of sunglasses in the door. "Okay, seriously, how many pairs of sunglasses do you own?"

"Some aren't mine! They just all get left in this car, but I don't mind. Gives me a choice," he raised his eyebrows.

"Wait, so those ones that I wore…" she began.

"Oh no, those were mine. As are the light blue ones."

"Oh, okay. Speaking of, I still have those, do you-"

Jeff raised his hand to silence her. "You keep them. They look better on you, anyway."

He pulled into the parking lot of a bowling alley. "Bowling? Really?" Quinn raised her eyebrows.

"I thought it'd be fun! We can go somewhere else if you don't want-"

Quinn covered his hand with hers. "It sounds awesome," she grinned.

He looked round at her. "That's the first time I've heard you say that!"

"Well, I'm the new Quinn, remember? The totally awesome one that kicks ass?" She smirked, pulling open her door and undoing her seatbelt.

"Yeah. Yeah, totally," Jeff said, still sat in his seat, a little shocked.

She walked over to his side of the car, leaning over the door so that her face was right next to his. "It's gonna be hard trying to get the pins down from here, you know."

"Right. Sorry. I just can't believe that you're even real," a grin swept across his face, and he held her face in his hand. "You're way too perfect." He brushed his lips against hers gently.

"You think _I_ am? Nobody's ever kissed me like you do. You treat me like I'm special."

"That's because you are!" Jeff undid his seatbelt, pulled out his keys and jumped out of the car.

"Smooth," Quinn noted, raising her eyebrows.

"Thanks," Jeff smirked. "But seriously, you are the best thing that's happened to me in a long time, and I won't rest until I've found every possible way to show you just how much you mean to me."

Quinn turned bright red. "Oh, wow. Nobody's ever said…_Anything_ like that to me. At all."

"Well then, everyone is blind. And/or stupid. Especially if they were going to let someone like you go!" He put his arm around her and walked with her to the entrance. "Oh, and by the way," he said as they entered the alley, "I used to work here, so-"

"_Jeffers_!" A voice came from behind them. A man in uniform ran up to them and clapped Jeff on the back. "Hey, man! How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks. Oh, this is Quinn. Quinn, meet Colin. He was my trainer when I started out," he introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Quinn," Colin said, waving. "So is she your girlfriend?" he smirked, pinching Jeff's cheek.

"Yes. Yes, I am," she said, looping her arm round his. Jeff suddenly became slightly smug.

"Well, Jeff's a lucky guy," Colin winked.

"And I'm a very lucky girl," she smiled.

"I'll leave you two lovebirds to it," Colin smirked, waving goodbye.

They got up to the desk where two identical twin girls sat. "Elena? Mordecai?" Jeff asked.

Both girls looked up at the same time. "Hey!" they said in unison, one in a flatter tone than the other.

Jeff bent down to say into Quinn's ear, "Don't be too freaked out by the whole speaking at the same time thing. They've always done it." He stood back up again. "Just the one game, I think. There is school in the morning, after all!"

"Absolutely," the girls chorused.

"Okay, you can stop that now," Jeff laughed.

"That'll be $16, please," Elena deadpanned.

"What size shoe are you?" Mordecai asked Quinn.

"6 and a half," Quinn replied, smiling.

Mordecai passed her some bowling shoes, and Quinn gave the assistant her shoes. "Hey," Mordecai whispered, "Jeff's a good friend to me, okay? And he's a good guy, so just…Just be good to him, okay? Not that I'm saying I don't think you're nice, I don't know you, but-"

"I get it," Quinn cut off. "Don't worry, I will. And you have permission to do whatever you want if I'm ever the opposite."

"Okay. Okay, well, you kids have fun," Mordecai smirked. She got Jeff's shoes out ready before he'd even taken his off. "You don't think I would forget your shoe size, do you?" she answered to his puzzled look.

"Of course not. Thanks, 'Cai," he smiled. He led Quinn to a bench where they could put their shoes on.

"I love walking around in these," Quinn mused, lacing her shoes up.

"Really? Most people I know hate them," Jeff said, his nose basically touching his foot.

"I know, but I can't really explain it."

"It's just one of your quirks. It's another reason why you're you and you're really super-cool," he grinned.

"Really super-cool?" Quinn laughed.

"Hey, the Warblers warned you that I'm like a human puppy. You chose to accept that responsibility," he laughed.

"I don't think you're like a puppy. More like a lion cub or something," she smiled, leaning her head on her arms, which were propped up on her knees, as she waited for him to finish.

"You're _definitely_ like a lion now," he grinned, ruffling Quinn's hair a little.

Quinn looked at him indignantly, then smoothed her hair down. "Fine, we're both lions. Happy?"

"Very," he smiled. "Now are we gonna bowl or not?" he asked, standing up.

Quinn stood up as well, but she looked unsure. "I don't really….I'm not that _good_ at bowling," she stammered.

Jeff took her hand. "Then I'll just have to teach you, won't I?" They walked to their lane together and Quinn froze. Jeff looked round to see Finn flirting with Elena. "Don't worry. If Finn tries to mess Elena around, it's probably the last thing he'll be doing for a while," he chuckled. "Now come on, tonight's just going to be about you and me, okay?" He hugged her round the waist and kissed her neck.

"You're too good to me, you know that?" Quinn asked as he swayed them both gently.

"Hey! Nobody's too good for you. Especially me," he trailed off sadly.

"Stop putting yourself down, Jeff. You're the best boyfriend I've had, and I've barely even been on a date with you. Okay?"

Jeff grinned sheepishly. "Okay."

Jeff got them set up, and Quinn was first to start. "Erm…" she shuffled on the spot awkwardly.

Jeff stood behind her again and interlocked his fingers with hers from the behind, curling them. "Okay, so imagine you're holding the ball right now. Just swing back a little – not _too _far," he lifted their hands backwards, "and crouch down like this and then let the ball go when it's just past your leg, like this," he crouched down and swung just like he had explained. "Think you've got that?"

"Yeah, I think so," Quinn grinned. He couldn't see Quinn's face because they had just turned the black lights on, but she was blushing like mad.

Quinn took a ball and swung just like Jeff had taught her. She'd knocked down eight pins. "That's awesome!" Jeff grinned as she turned round after she bowled. "That's great, honestly! I'm proud of you." He high-fived her and they both laughed. "Now, try and aim it this time. Throw just like you did, but try and make it go to those pins."

Quinn aimed at the remaining two and threw. She knocked them both down. She jumped up and down, cheering, "I did it, Jeff, look!"

"I know you did!" Jeff laughed. Quinn jumped into Jeff's arms and she wrapped her legs around his middle. "I knew you could do it," he smiled.

"I know. Thanks for believing in me, I guess," Quinn smiled.

"What sort of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?" Jeff asked, laughing. He kept holding her for a while. "You know, even though it's my turn, I kind of like holding you like this," he smiled.

"Good," Quinn smirked. "Then my plan is working."

Jeff's eyes widened in pretend shock. "Quinn Fabray! I didn't know you had it in you!" He put her down and tapped her nose playfully. "Luckily for you, though, you're perfect, so I can't stay mad at you," he kissed her forehead.

Quinn couldn't help but giggle. "You're not so bad yourself. Now come on, let's see how good you are."

…

"I let you win!" Jeff defended.

"Of course you did," Quinn patted his arm sympathetically, laughing.

"Hey! And it was _because_ I felt sorry for you. I fell for your whole 'I'm not good at bowling' act!"

"That wasn't an act! I just had a very good teacher," she smiled, nudging his arm slightly.

They'd been queuing for a while now to get some food. A song that was fairly familiar to Jeff played in the background – had they sung this at Warbler practice? Jeff nodded his head along to it, swaying a little before he saw Finn and Elena making out at one of the lanes. He looked at Quinn, who was looking at the other couple in disgust, almost. "I feel the same way you do, you know," he whispered.

"How so?" Quinn asked.

"Remember how I said there was a girl I liked, but she humiliated me in front of the Warblers?" Quinn nodded. "Elena. It was when I first started working here. The guys found out that she was the girl I was constantly talking about at the time, and figured they'd try and talk her into going out with me. I had no idea this was going on, by the way," he added. "Anyway, they told her all these things about me, and they came up to me one day saying 'Hey, we totally set you up with that Elena girl! Just go ask her on a date now!' I did. She said no. In front of all the Warblers. I felt terrible for weeks after that," he shook his head. "Still kinda pains me to look at her. I just see her and I want to-"

"Hey. Calm down, it's okay. You didn't deserve what she did to you, okay? You are a lovely, charming, adorable young man who I'm very happy to call my boyfriend, so shush." She kissed him on the lips, and he broke out into a grin.

"Thanks, Quinn. You're the best girlfriend ever," he hugged her. "I can't believe I can call you that now. My girlfriend. Not that I'm implying that you _belong_ to me in any way, you're your own person, I mean…" Jeff rambled.

Quinn giggled. "It's okay. I understand. You're really sweet, you know that?"

They got to the front of the line, at last. "Hey, Claire! You still work here too, huh?" Jeff laughed.

"Yep. So what's it gonna be?"

"I think I'll just have some nachos, please," Quinn smiled, "and a Diet Coke."

"Hey, that's what Jeff normally orders," Claire sniggered. "So two nachos and Diets, that'll be – Oh," she looked up and Jeff already had the money held out.

"Keep the change," he grinned as he took the food and drinks from his ex-colleague. "Bye, Claire!"

He and Quinn walked to a table and sat at it. Quinn grinned at him playfully. "Hey," she leaned in, whispering, "come here."

Jeff leaned in. "Why?" he smirked back.

"You got something on your face."

"I do?" Jeff tried to look, but ended up going cross-eyed. "Where?"

"Right…There," Quinn giggled as she spread cheese on his nose.

Jeff gasped. "Oh no, you didn't! I will _so_ get you back for this someday!"

"We'll see," Quinn smirked. "Here," she grabbed a napkin and wiped his face clean, "I'm sorry. But it was kinda funny," she laughed.

"Well, now I'm not going to go easy on you in the arcade like I'd planned," Jeff raised his eyebrows, taking a sip of his drink.

"Well then, neither will I," Quinn challenged.

…

"Oh my God, what are you, a ninja?" Quinn exclaimed. They were both playing a dance mat game, and Jeff had chosen a fast-paced song with lots of steps.

"Yep!" he replied, jumping on the arrows.

"I'm tempted to just push you off, you know," Quinn laughed.

"Hey, you do that, I'll tickle you again, and I'm serious," Jeff warned, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Fine," Quinn gave in.

The song ended, and Jeff had won. He raised his arms in celebration, then looked at her. He slid his arms around her waist and pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm sorry, baby," he said quietly. "Growing up in a big family's made me competitive."

"It's fine," she laughed. "Honestly," she kissed his nose. "Plus, you know I can't resist you calling me baby," she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Jeff smiled. "Well, I suppose that's a fair deal, considering I can't resist _you_, period." He ducked his head and caught her lips with his.

"Someone's getting confident," Quinn giggled, blushing.

"Well, when a guy gets to call a girl like you his girlfriend, he does tend to believe he's doing something right," he smirked, swaying them both.

She smiled, brushing her fingers down his jawline. "Oh, you're definitely doing _something_ right," she stood on her toes and kissed him lightly.

They were interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They both looked round to see Finn and Elena. Finn looked angrily at Jeff, his arms crossed across his chest. "If you're not going to be using the dance machine, could you stop slobbering over my leftovers on it?" Elena let out a single cold, harsh laugh.

"Leftovers? Since when was I _your_ leftovers? Was I just a piece of meat to you?" Quinn put her hands on her hips.

Finn ignored her. "Come on, if you two are so loved-up, why aren't you defending her?" he asked.

"Well, she seems to be doing a pretty good job at owning you by herself, considering you didn't have a comeback," Jeff shrugged. Quinn looked at him and he winked back.

Finn opened his mouth and closed it again, not unlike a goldfish. Elena came to his rescue. "You know that Jeff's a total wash-out, right? He couldn't even get to know me himself, he had to get his friends to do his legwork!" she laughed.

"I didn't _ask_ them to say those things," he mumbled, turning red.

"Okay, listen. So Jeff isn't quarterback with a string of girls chasing after him. But at least he treats me like his _girlfriend_. At least he doesn't cheat on me and then dump the girl he cheated _with_! Have fun with him, Elena. Make the most of the 20 seconds he gives you," she glared.

"So you won't defend your girlfriend, _and_ you have to rely on her to defend you?" Finn walked up to Jeff and squared him off. "You really are nothing but a weedy," he poked Jeff in the ribs, "little," he poked again, "boy." He shoved Jeff, who lost his balance and fell backwards. Finn laughed coldly. "Hey, you know what? You're both perfect for each other, because neither of you are good enough for anyone else."

That's when Jeff went over the edge. He marched straight up to Finn and punched him square in the face. "Insult me all you want, but don't you _dare_ talk about Quinn like that again!" He breathed heavily. He turned to face her again. "Sorry about that, baby," he said calmly. A smile crawled up one side of his face. "Let's go get you home."

…

"I didn't know you had that in you!" Quinn exclaimed when they were both in the car.

"Me neither! I was just as surprised as you!" Jeff laughed. "I mean, he was making me feel angry when he was insulting _me_, but I was feeling angry about myself. I mean, it's true – I am a weedy little boy," he sighed.

"No you aren't. You certainly proved him wrong out there," she smiled at him.

"Well, he shouldn't have said that about you. You don't deserve to be spoken to like that. That guy is nothing but a jerk," Jeff gripped the steering wheel a little tighter.

"Hey," Quinn stroked his arm. "Calm down, okay? You're so much better than Finn, and I have you now. So can we just focus on that, please?"

"You're right, I'm sorry," Jeff sighed. "It's you and me," he grinned at her.


	8. IMing

A/N: What's that? A new chapter already? Oh my God!

Yes, I've updated quickly, I know, but this was a relatively quick chapter. This one is like the texting one except it's on like an IM thingy. I was going to use Facebook but I don't know if I'm allowed :') So I kinda made my own up. Basically, you can have your own conversations privately or if someone does something [like add another as a friend], you can comment.

Disclaimer: Is this happening in Glee? No. Therefore do I own it? No. Neither do I own Dianna Agron or Riker Lynch (but I'm working on that last one :P)

Enjoy!

…

**Nick – Jeff **Hey man, where've you been? Tried to ring you earlier, we were gonna go play some CoD but you weren't answering!

**Jeff – Nick** Sorry. I forgot to tell you, Quinn came by my house yesterday and apologised and we went on a date tonight.

**Nick – Jeff **WHAT? After yesterday's showdown?

**Jeff – Nick **It's not her fault! It was Kurt's stepbrother's fault. He's a real jerk.

**Nick – Jeff** Alright, well, if she honestly makes you happy.

**Jeff – Nick** Thanks for being awesome, man :)

…

**Nick Duval** has asked to be your friend. He added: **Hey, Quinn! It's me, Nick the Warbler! :)**

**Quinn Fabray** has added **Nick Duval **as a friend.

**Nick – Quinn **Hey!

**Quinn – Nick **Hi :) How are you?

**Nick – Quinn **I'm all good, thanks, yourself?

**Quinn – Nick **I'm fine, thank you. I take it you're going to yell at me for what happened with Jeff and Finn, right?

**Nick – Quinn **Well, you seem to be doing something that's making Jeff happy, so I'm cool. Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about.

**Quinn – Nick **Shoot.

**Nick – Quinn** Well, Jeff's birthday is coming up, and what with him leaving Dalton and all, we were going to drive to somewhere with a beach and spend spring break there. Seeing as you're the girlfriend now, wanna come with?

**Quinn – Nick** Obviously I want to be there for Jeff, but won't it be weird if I'm the only girl?

**Nick – Quinn **Well, his sister and his brothers are coming, and you can bring some people from your school! I'm sure that Rachel girl must be in need of some cheering up.

**Quinn – Nick **Oh, and you're going to be the one to cheer her up? :P

**Nick – Quinn **Totally ;)

**Quinn – Nick** Fine, I'll bring some McKinley girls, too.

**Nick – Quinn **You're a lot cooler than I thought, Fabray.

**Quinn – Nick** Same could be said to you, Duval ;D

**Nick – Quinn **Oh I know ;D Hold on, I'll add you to everyone else so we can keep discussing it as a group :D

…

**Quinn Fabray** has added **Blaine Anderson, Thad Harwood, David Thompson **and** Wes Montgomery **as friends.

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **Guys!**

**Blaine Anderson** commented: **It's all for a good cause, Jeff. Calm down.**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **What cause?**

**Thad Montgomery** commented: **I believe a quote from the great Doctor River Song is in order here, Jeff.**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **What? Hello, sweetie?**

**Thad Harwood **commented: **Spoilers.**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **Jeff, you need to be less paranoid!**

**Blaine Anderson** commented: **Jeff's always paranoid about something.**

**Nick Duval** commented: **It's why we love him ;)**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **And you wondered why I said I wouldn't miss you guys?**

**Thad Harwood **commented: **We all knew that was a joke. You're going to miss the crap out of us.**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **Hate to break the love-fest, but I keep getting emails every time you comment. Stop clogging my inbox!**

**Jeff Sterling **commented: **You're about to regret this…**

**Nick Duval** commented: **Oh,**

**Nick Duval** commented: **really?**

**Nick Duval** commented: **What**

**Nick Duval** commented: **a**

**Nick Duval** commented: **shame.**

**Nick Duval** commented: **;)**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **I**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **can**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **and**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **will**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **fight**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **back,**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **you**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **know.**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **;D**

**Nick Duval** commented: **Holy**

**Nick Duval** commented: **crap,**

**Nick Duval** commented: **you're**

**Nick Duval** commented: **awesome.**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **I know. ;D Spamming gets boring after a while, though.**

**Jodie Sterling** commented: **Jeff, is this your girlfriend?**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **Jodie, you add her and it'll be the last thing you do.**

…

**Jodie Sterling** has added **Quinn Fabray** as a friend.

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **I'll be right back. Jodie won't be.**

**Jodie Sterling** commented: **Quinn added me!**

**Quinn Fabray **commented: **Jeff, I added her :P**

**Nick Duval** commented: **Your girlfriend totally owns you right now.**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **I know. :/**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **Wait, since when were you guys friends with my sister?**

**Nick Duval **commented: **Who do you think has been supplying us with baby photos? ;)**

**Jeff Sterling **commented: **I'm killing you all!**

**Quinn Fabray **commented: **What was that about baby photos? ;P**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **I give up.**

**Jodie Sterling** commented: **I'd send them, but Jeff would find out and probably kill me.**

**Nick Duval** commented: **He can't kill me until tomorrow! I'll send them :D**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **… -.-**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **I was kidding. Nick, stop sending me pictures of baby Jeff!**

**Nick Duval** commented: **Aw, but he's such a cutie! :3**

**Quinn Fabray **commented: **As a teenage girl, I don't feel at liberty to comment on a how I feel about a baby physically. But continue with your heterosexuality and not perverting, you're totally convincing everyone ;)**

**Jeff Sterling **commented: **Holy smokes.**

**Nick Duval** commented: **Dude, your girlfriend's such a troll.**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **1) Ikr! 2) 'My girlfriend' has a name, you know. Start using it!**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **Eh, it's fine. As long as I can call Nick Jeff's boyfriend ;)**

**Jeff Sterling** commented: **Wth?**

**Nick Duval** commented: **Don't fight it, baby ;)**

**Jeff Sterling **commented: **That's it. I'm going. I'm virtually surrounded by idiots and Quinn.**

**Quinn Fabray** commented: **Nice save. ;D**

**Nick Duval **commented: **Bedtime already, Jeffy? Alrighty then, I'll be there in five ;)**

**Jodie Sterling** commented: **Little sister! I don't need to be scarred by that sort of thing!**

**Nick Duval** commented: **Wait until you enter the world of fanfiction.**

**Thad Harwood **commented: **One week of fanfiction and you'll be wanting straight guys to get with other straight guys.**

**Jodie Sterling **commented: **So, do you guys want that too?**

**Thad Harwood** commented: **Only in fandoms. You know, Harry Potter, Doctor Who.**

**Nick Duval** commented: **Drarry = OTP. Also Rory/Eleven.**

**Jodie Sterling **commented: **What's OTP?**

**Thad Harwood **commented: **There is still much for you to learn, young Padawan.**

**Jeff Sterling **commented: **ENOUGH. Goodnight.**


	9. Saying Goodbye

A/N: Aaah it's another somewhat quick update compared to the others so far! This one is slightly less AU because it kind of follows the plot of Born This way (i.e. Kurt's transfer, Warblers singing goodbye etc.) Unfortunately I will be on hiatus for the next two weeks! D: Am going to America for the fortnight, but I will be writing story ideas in my book ready to type them up when I get home!

[Also, there is Quartie friendship in this chapter. Yay ^_^]

[Also also, I know the characters are a little OOC, but this _is_ AU, remember.]

Enjoy!

…

On the Wednesday, Quinn walked into the choir room amidst a lot of chattering. She walked up to Artie and asked, "What's going on?"

"Didn't you hear? Kurt's transferring back here again!" Artie grinned.

"That's awesome! But what about Karofsky?"

"Did I just hear Quinn Fabray say the word 'awesome'?" Artie teased. "Apparently Santana got him to apologise to Kurt and now it's going to be 'safe enough' or whatever. Anyway, we're all meeting in the outside eating area at lunch to welcome him back."

"Thanks, Artie," Quinn grinned as the bell rang.

…

12:00pm. New Directions were sat at the stairs, waiting for Kurt to arrive, which he did, in true Kurt-style. Everyone ran up to hug him and saw that the Warblers were there. Jeff caught Quinn's eye and winked at her. Quinn smiled, biting her lip.

The Warblers sang Somewhere Only We Know as a tribute to Kurt leaving them. Jeff was trying to look at him the whole time, as everyone was supposed to, but he couldn't help stealing an occasional glance at Quinn.

When they finished, Jeff went over to Quinn, but was beaten by Nick, who hugged Quinn and they walked off together. Jeff nudged David. "What's up with them two?"

David shrugged. "I don't know. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, though," he patted Jeff on the back.

"Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right. Quinn's not like that anymore," Jeff shook his head.

_But wait. She had strayed before. Back when she stood me up, because she went back to Finn. _He glared at the two, who were laughing together. He looked round to ask other Warblers, but they were all talking to New Directions.

A throat cleared next to him and he turned to see Artie. "Look, man, I'm not gonna beat around the bush," Artie started. "Quinn and I, we're not the best of friends, but she needs someone who's gonna look after her. Someone who's gonna treat her right. I guess you've been doing a good job so far, she seems happy," he looked over his shoulder to see her laughing with both Nick and Blaine. "But if you do anything to hurt her in any way, you're going to have to answer to Puck, Mike, Sam and I. I don't know about Finn," he shrugged. "Sound fair?" he held his hand out.

"Totally," Jeff nodded, shaking the other boy's hand. "I'm just going to go say goodbye to Kurt, now that he's free," Jeff waved to Artie as he walked over to Kurt. "Hey. I'm sorry that you're going. Well, it seems like you won't get bullied that much anymore, so I'm not sorry for that, and you'll be with all your friends, so I'm not sorry about that, _either_, but-"

"I get it," Kurt interjected with a smile. "Besides, I'll still see you if you do transfer to McKinley! And you'll get to be with Quinn if you do," he nudged Jeff with his elbow.

Jeff laughed. "Is there anyone that doesn't know about us now?"

"After the black eye you gave Finn? No," Kurt laughed.

"How do-"

"When you showed up, I overheard someone identify you as the one who 'punched the tall guy in the face' at the bowling alley. According to Nick, you were at the alley last night, too. Doesn't take a genius," Kurt shrugged.

"Yeah, about that. Would you be _surprised_ that Quinn and I are…Y'know, together?" Jeff laced his fingers together to show what he meant.

"I don't know. Normally she goes for the stereotypical jock, but I guess she's seeing sense and relying on someone that'll support her," he threw a smile Jeff's way. "I mean, we do all bitch about her behind her back, but when it comes down to it, Glee club is like family. No matter how much you hate the people in it, you like to see them happy all the same," Kurt shrugged.

"But, say someone else came along…Would you be shocked if she left me for them?"

Kurt stayed silent for a while. "Honestly? No. Not unless what you said was right and she really had changed," he replied quietly, not looking at Jeff.

"Oh. Oh, okay. Thanks, Kurt." He patted the other's arm.

Wes tapped Jeff on the shoulder. "We need to get back now."

"Can I at least say hi to Quinn, first?" Jeff asked, disappointed.

"You know I'd say yes in any other situation, but we're behind schedule as it is. I'm sorry, Jeff."

"Oh." Jeff looked down at his feet. "It's cool. Teacher'll kill us if we're late, I know the drill. Come on, then." He watched on angrily as Nick said his goodbyes to Quinn.

It was the first time that Jeff had ignored Nick for longer than an hour. For the whole day, Jeff was thinking of every single possible scenario that Nick and Quinn would be keeping secrets from him, and every one turned out bad. When he'd gotten home, he pulled his phone out.

**To: Quinn  
>I don't know what's happening with you and Nick, and I doubt either of you will tell me. But just tell me this. Are you or are you not going to the dance with me on Friday?<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Of course I am! Why wouldn't I? x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>No reason.<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Come ooonnn, tell me! Pleeease? x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>You and Nick seemed to be getting on really well, that's all.<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Well, yeah, but that's not something to be worried about! Even if it was, Nick would be on your side! Like he was with that other girl.<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>That was different. He never liked Caitlin. He likes you.<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Wait, I'm confused. Do you –want– me to not go with you?<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>I'd rather not have a repeat of four years ago, is all. If you actually like Nick like that, I'd rather you go after him now rather than later.<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Hold on a sec.<strong>

His phone played the familiar singing cat song, and he pressed answer. "Hi, this is-"

"Jeff, it's me."

"Oh." His face fell when he heard Quinn's voice. "Someone needs to learn to use their phone to get it off unknown," he chuckled humorlessly.

"Listen, I can't tell you what Nick and I are talking about. But you have to trust us as your girlfriend and your best friend that we _aren't_ doing anything to hurt you. If anything, this is the opposite. So cheer up and I'll see you on Friday. Okay?"

Jeff sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry, Quinn. I just-"

"You have every right to be paranoid, considering your past with Caitlin and my past with…Well, my past. So don't apologise. Just promise me you'll start talking to Nick again, okay?" Quinn asked. "He's really upset that you aren't speaking to him."

"I promise. Okay, bye!"

"Bye!"

Jeff hung up and texted Nick.

**To: Nick  
>Sorry about today, man. Thought it was Caitlin scenario all over again. Forgive me? :3<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>Buy me dinner first, then we'll see ;)<strong>

**To: Nick  
>I'll even buy you a pretty little dress to wear, too ;D<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>There's my best friend! Look, Quinn and I are planning something awesome. That's all I can say. Well, I guess I can also tell you that I'm totally going to get that Rachel girl's number by the end of the week ;D<strong>

**To: Nick  
>Dude, spoilers! :P Also, get some! ;)<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>Haha :P And I'm allowed to tell you that it's awesome! But that's it. Quinn's getting me Rachel's number in return for my services.<strong>

**To: Nick  
>You have no idea how weird that sounded.<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>Crap, I just realised! Haha, nothing like that is happening! Just…You'll find out.<strong>

**To: Nick  
>Alright. Well, I gotta go take John and James to hockey, apparently.<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>Awww, remember when we used to play hockey? We were unstoppable XD<strong>

**To: Nick  
>Haha, yeah. Team Three-Six totally owned everyone else!<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>You know, I never understood why they called us that…<strong>

**To: Nick  
>Your jersey was #3 and mine was #6 and we were the unstoppable dream team just between us! Hence Team Three-Six :P<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>You realise we're totally life partners, right? xP<strong>

**To: Nick  
>Yep xD We're like JD and Turk :L<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>You know it, C-Bear ;)<strong>

**To: Nick  
>Hey, you should be C-Bear! Everyone said JD was my spirit animal or whatever, so YOU know it, C-Bear ;D<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>Very true. See you tomorrow, yeah?<strong>

**To: Nick  
>Of course! Last day with the Warblers after all :(<strong>

**Fr: Nick  
>Crap, we have Friday off, don't we? Whatever. Laters, BFF ;)<strong>

**To: Nick  
>You're a genius(!) Bye, bestie ;D<strong>


	10. Leaving

A/N: Look who's back from holiday! Also, I'm sorry for updating almost a week later than I planned (even though you didn't know I planned to release this chapter a few days ago so shhhh!) but I had one idea then I completely scrapped it and tried again.

Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, it would be all Chord Overstreet, Lea Michele, Kevin McHale, Dianna Agron, and Riker Lynch.

Enjoy!

…

Wes banged his gavel against the desk. "Settle, everyone!" he called to the room. Once everyone was silent, he resumed speaking. "Now, earlier in the week we said goodbye to Kurt, who was valuable to us during Regionals. But today another Warbler leaves us who, although he may not have been a soloist, has still been an outstanding member of the choir. Jeff," he finally addressed, "you will be sorely missed by us all."

There were a few "Yeah!"s scattered around as the room burst into applause. Jeff bowed slightly, turning red as he didn't know quite how to acknowledge the applause.

"Speech!" Nick called, and others made noises of agreement.

"Er, okay." Jeff stood on the table. "First of all, Blaine – I apologise for just stealing your trademark here by jumping onto the table." Everyone laughed. "Second, I know I've tried to get the lead solo but I never got to, but I don't mind. Blaine's a fantastic lead and you're going to be huge, man, I know it," Jeff smiled, and Blaine nodded in appreciation. "All of you guys are. You're all insanely talented and I can only thank you so much for letting me be a part of this before you all get too annoyed by me," he laughed with them. "You've all been like brothers to me. Brothers that I don't want to kill," he added to more laughter. "And I know we'll all stay in contact and see each other and stuff, but I'll still miss seeing you all every day."

More applause followed Jeff's speech, making him embarrassed again. He jumped off the table and Blaine walked up to him. "Hey, Jeff," he smiled, leaning against the table next to Jeff. "Listen, I know that you worked hard to get a solo, and-"

"Say no more," Jeff interrupted. "It's like I said, you're like the cement that holds the Warblers together. I would never have gotten a look-in. Not that I'm bitter, I'm not," he corrected himself hurriedly and Blaine nodded to show he understood. "But I'm just a brick," he shrugged. "You'll replace me easily."

"Not necessarily," Blaine put a hand on Jeff's shoulder. "You need the _right_ brick to fill a gap. And it'll take quite a while to find the right replacement," he smiled. "I don't know if you'll remember the day we met-"

"First day here. You had glasses and your mom had kissed your forehead so that there was a red mark and I thought you were Harry Potter or something," Jeff laughed.

Blaine laughed, too. "Yeah. Then I called you-"

"Draco Malfoy," they chorused, laughing.

"We convinced Thad and David that we were actually British for weeks," Jeff giggled.

"See? You were the one who got me settled into this place," he gestured around the hall they were standing in. "You and I made friends, then you made friends with Nick, who introduced us both to the others and now look! So you aren't that easy to replace. Nobody forgets their first friend in a hurry," Blaine grinned.

Jeff pulled Blaine into an unexpected hug. "I'll miss you, Potter," he laughed shakily.

"I'll miss you too, Malfoy," Blaine laughed back.

Jeff walked around a little before being stopped by Thad, who walked straight into him. "Whoa, sorry, man," Thad apologised. "Hey, look. I know I tease you a lot, and I don't get sappy that much, but you've been like a little brother to me," he smiled. "You've got a good heart, man. And it's a good job you've got that Quinn, otherwise the ladies would be all over you!" Thad raised his eyebrows.

Jeff let out a single laugh. "I seriously doubt _that_! But thanks all the same," he smiled.

"Speaking of, how are you and Quinn?" Thad asked.

"Oh, we're awesome. I thought there was a little bump in the road the other day, but that's sorted. I think. I don't know, everyone's keeping everything under wraps," Jeff shrugged.

"Oh no," Thad smirked. "You're not getting anything out of me that easily, Sterling."

"Dang it!" Jeff joked. They both laughed. "Nah, I wouldn't try and pull one over on you, anyway. You know me, I'm a terrible liar."

"True, true," Thad nodded. "So, back to you and your little girlfriend," he poked Jeff in the side.

"Hey!" Jeff pulled back, rubbing at where Thad had poked.

"Aww, did I hurt baby Jeffy?" Thad teased. "I kid, I kid. How far are you guys right now?"

Jeff shrugged. "I don't know how she feels, and I don't want to come on too strong and look stupid if she doesn't reciprocate it, you know?"

Thad paused. "Okay. Answer me this. How do you feel around her?"

"It's…It's like…" Jeff looked around the room, hopelessly trying to get some inspiration. His eyes fell on Blaine, who was talking to Nick. "You know how to cast a Patronus, you need to remind yourself of something happy?" Thad nodded, laughing at the Harry Potter reference. "When I'm with Quinn, or I'm thinking about her, or I'm talking to her, I feel like I could rid the whole world of Dementors with a single Patronus," Jeff grinned dreamily.

"Sounds like someone needs to break out the L-word," Thad said in a singsong voice as he cocked his head.

"Wait," Jeff's eyes widened. "You don't mean-"

"That's right," Thad brought his voice to a whisper. "_Lesbians_."

Jeff shoved Thad in the ribs. "Shut up," he laughed. "But are you serious? Should I tell her that I – I mean I don't even know _if_ I do," he shuffled awkwardly.

"It sounded like you do," Thad smiled. "I mean, the way you described it was pretty much the same way I described how I felt about my girlfriend to Wes, and he to David and look at us – very happy in our relationships. Trust me, man, you should tell her!"

"Yeah…Yeah, I think I will!" Jeff grinned. "Thanks, I owe you!"

"Of course you do. See you around, Sterling!" he patted Jeff on the back as Nick approached them.

"Well." was all Nick said.

"Well." Jeff replied.

They then went into a long and complicated handshake that they had invented the day they met. They had agreed that they were to teach every one of their kids to approach others and do the very same until they found the only other child who knew it, and their kids would continue their Three-Six legacy.

At the end of it, they hugged. That was all they needed to do.

The bell rang and Jeff walked to his last lesson at Dalton. He didn't concentrate, though. He spent the entire hour wondering how to tell Quinn that he was in love with her.

…

"Quinn, honey, sit down," was the first thing Quinn heard when she entered her house.

Quinn looked at her parents suspiciously. "What's up?"

"Well, dear, you know how I was a soldier back in Iraq – " her dad began.

"Sure, but you're retired now, right?" Quinn stomach tightened. She had a very good idea what was coming next.

"I _was_ retired, yes, but they've asked me to come out of retirement and serve again in Afghanistan," Quinn's father tried to look Quinn in the eye, but she averted his gaze every time. "Look, I know this is going to be tough, but – "

"Going to be tough? No. No! My math final is _going to be tough_. This – _this! _Is going to be unbearable! How will I even know that you're okay? That you're _alive_? How will I focus on school knowing that you could be getting blown up at any minute? How could you _do_ this to me, Dad?" She flung her arms in the air in frustration and stormed up to her room. She threw herself onto her bed and cried into her pillow.

Once she had stopped crying, she got her laptop out and turned it on. As soon as it was loaded, a message popped up on her screen:

**Jeff – Quinn **Hello, beautiful :] How's the world's most awesome girlfriend?

Quinn let out a small laugh.

**Quinn – Jeff **Hey yourself, good-looking ;D Tbh I could be better.

**Jeff – Quinn **Awh, baby :[ What's wrong?

**Quinn – Jeff** Long story. But I don't think I can make it on Friday.

**Jeff – Quinn **…Wait, what? Why not?

**Quinn – Jeff** I'm so sorry, Jeff. If I wasn't this upset, you know I would have gone with you, but I can't now. Please forgive me.

…

Jeff didn't reply for quite a while, which was odd for him. Normally he'd reply to any message in a heartbeat. Quinn heard a knocking at the front door, followed by a familiar, yet breathless voice. "Is Qui-Is Quinn still here?" she heard, and she couldn't help but smile. She heard the footsteps running up the stairs and Jeff bounded into her room, red-faced. He knelt next to her and took her hand. "There are – a few things – you should know," Jeff panted. Quinn laughed slightly, but in a kind way. "First," he looked up at her, his breath regained, "you don't need to ask me to forgive you for anything. I either will or I won't. I most probably will, though," he smirked. "Second, if and when you're ready to talk about…Whatever's happening, I'll be right here. Even if I'm…Not right here," he laughed.

Quinn put their interlocked hands in her lap and played with Jeff's fingers. "You're the best, you know that?" she smiled, still looking at their hands. She looked sideways at him and sighed. "My dad's being deployed in Afghanistan. I'm going to have to go back to McKinley and worry the entire time about whether or not my dad's even alive." She sighed. "I just didn't want to ruin your night by being upset is all. I'm sorry."

Jeff sat behind her and wrapped his arms around her. "You have nothing to be sorry about," he whispered into her ear. "You have every right to be upset. But just understand that _any_ night spent with you is an amazing one, okay? No matter how happy you are."

Quinn shuffled back on her bed a little and lay down. Jeff lay next to her, propping himself up on his elbow. She looked up at him. "You are absolutely perfect, Jeff Leonard Sterling," she smiled up at him.

"I'm honestly not," he shook his head. "And look, if you want to stay here tomorrow night, I won't have any objections. I'll stay right here with you." He bent down and kissed her.

When they broke apart, Quinn beamed. "I love you," she breathed hurriedly. She realised what she'd said immediately after and bit her lip.

Jeff's eyes widened. "I – I – "

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to – " Quinn started, but Jeff silenced her with another kiss.

"I love you too," he grinned, looking into her eyes. "Every little bit of you. I love your hair, little lion cub," he laughed lightly. "And your eyes. I could look at those all day and never, ever get bored. Ever. And then your cute little nose," he nuzzled her in an Eskimo kiss. "And don't get me started on how much I love your lips," he kissed her again, this time a lot more passionately. She returned with just as much passion, putting one hand on the back of his neck. He positioned himself over her to deepen it, even biting her lip a little. She gasped and he slipped his tongue into her mouth. She ran her hands up and down his arms as he kissed her like this for God knows how long.

When they broke apart, Quinn let out a small "Oh" of disappointment.

Jeff chuckled and kissed her cheek before setting himself back next to her again. "Sorry, baby," he smiled, tracing random shapes on her tummy with his finger.

"Don't be sorry," Quinn grinned. "At all. In fact, that was _really_ hot."

"_You're_ really hot," he cocked his head and smiled, his tongue poking out through his teeth a little.

"You charmer, you," Quinn smirked. She giggled. "Thank you. For making me feel better. You really are the most amazing boyfriend ever."

"That's only because I have the bestest girlfriend in the history of eternity!" he beamed.

Quinn laughed. "You are such a little kid."

"You gotta enjoy being young while it lasts, right?"

"Yeah. Yeah, you do." Quinn nodded. She looked at Jeff. "I've changed my mind. I want to go with you to the dance."

Happiness swept over Jeff's face. "Seriously? Awesome!" His phone started playing the Indiana Jones theme song. "Oh, excuse me," he shuffled to get his phone out.

**Fr: Jerry  
>Mom and Dad have gone and they've left Jodie in charge. For the love of God, come back and save us!<strong>

Jeff laughed. "I have to go before someone gets murdered." He took her hand again. "I love you." He kissed her nose before climbing off the bed. "See you tomorrow!"


	11. The Dance

A/N: Aww, I'm glad you guys like the new chapter! As a great man once said, _I can't really do it cause it's physically impossible but I wanna give you all like a hug, like if I was like Mr Fantastic I would just kinda…whoa… snug you all.__ [Ten points to your house if you know who said great man was.]_

_This chapter is so fluffy, I'm gonna die! I liked writing it, but tell me what you thought in the reviews! :)_

_Enjoy!_

_…_

Friday night. Jeff, Nick and Blaine all agreed to pick their dates up and meet at Quinn's house, because that was the farthest from Dalton so they would all get an equally long time in the limo that they were sharing together. Jeff was naturally the first to arrive, along with his family, who wanted to see everyone.

Quinn's father opened the door. "Ah, so you must be the Jeff we constantly hear about!" He took Jeff's hand between his and shook it vigorously. "Please, do come in!"

"Thank you, sir," Jeff smiled. As he walked in, he greeted Quinn's mother, too. "Hello, Mrs Fabray. I'd like to introduce you both to my mom, my dad, and my siblings; John, James, Jerry and Jodie," he gestured to each member of his family respectively.

"Five children with the same first initial?" Quinn's dad raised his eyebrows.

Jeff's dad laughed. "I had visions of a family band, but _some people_ thought that music wasn't right for them," he raised his eyebrows and John and James.

"Just because we prefer hockey to singing," John rolled his eyes dramatically. Everyone laughed.

"Anyway, Jeff, you look very handsome tonight," Quinn's mother smiled.

"Oh, why thank you, Mrs Fabray!" Jeff's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"You're welcome! He's so polite," she smiled to Jeff's parents.

"As are all our children!" Jeff's mother beamed proudly.

"Can I get any of you something to eat or drink?" Mrs Fabray asked.

"Oh, I don't think –" Mrs Sterling started, but was interrupted by her children.

"What is there to eat?" Jerry asked.

"What is there to drink?" Jodie asked at the same time.

Mr Sterling sighed. "Kids!" He beckoned the two closer to him. "We just told these two how polite we raised our kids to be and then you both go demanding for things!" he hissed.

"We're sorry," Jerry and Jodie apologised in unison to Quinn's parents.

"No problem. And do you want to follow me to the kitchen and choose something?" Mrs Fabray gestured to a closed door.

Both kids looked longingly at their dad, who sighed. "Fine!"

"Thanks, Dad!" they both called as they followed Quinn's mom.

"So, you two boys play hockey, huh?" Mr Fabray asked.

"That's right," James nodded. "Jeff used to, as well, but he stopped because he needed to focus on his finals."

"Good man," Mr Fabray nodded. "You know, I used to play my fair share of hockey and other sports when I was your age. Particularly basketball."

"Oh, James is best at that!" John grinned. "He's the tallest of all of us. He wants to go into the military after school, don't you, James?" John turned to his older brother, who nodded.

"An admirable career! What were you planning on doing in the military, then? "Mr Fabray asked.

"Oh, not a soldier or anything like that. I was hoping to be a medic," James shuffled his feet awkwardly.

"Well, that's still a fine duty to serve! Good luck to you," he smiled.

Jeff, meanwhile, was perching himself against the wall. His dad walked over to him. "You okay, son?"

"Yeah," Jeff looked up at his dad and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"You nervous?" his dad smirked.

"A little," Jeff admitted.

"Don't be. You'll have a great time tonight," Mr Sterling patted Jeff on the shoulder.

Jeff grinned at his dad. "Thanks." He looked at the stairs, from where they all heard a door opening.

Quinn finally emerged from her room after hearing all the chatter from downstairs. She was wearing a half-white, half-black dress with a white clutch and black heels. The first thing she noticed as she walked down, naturally, was Jeff. He was staring at her – which she was used to guys doing – but not like this. Jeff wasn't ogling her like the others did; he was looking at her like she was the only thing in the world that mattered right now. She walked up to him and squeezed his hand. "Hey," she smiled.

"I've never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life," he rushed breathlessly.

Quinn giggled, blushing furiously. "Thank you. You look really good, too."

"That's only because I'm standing next to you," he grinned.

"Oh my God, get a room!" John called jokingly. Everyone laughed.

They were interrupted by the door knocking. It was Nick, with Rachel. The girls gushed about how pretty the other was. Jeff and Nick glanced at them and laughed slightly. "What, you're not going to tell me how pretty I am?" Jeff smirked.

"Jeff, you're a regular prom queen," Nick nodded.

"Aw, thanks, man!" Jeff hugged Nick, and they both laughed. He turned to Rachel. "Also, Rachel, you look very nice tonight," he smiled.

Rachel giggled. "Thank you, Jeff."

"Yeah, Quinn, you look _awesome_!" Nick added, to laughter.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm working on him," she patted Quinn's arm.

When Kurt and Blaine arrived, and they'd all exchanged compliments, Jeff's parents called them up for photos. There were singular shots, couple shots, Warbler shots, New Directions shots, group shots. Eventually Jeff called, "Enough! We've gotta go. The car's here!"

Jeff's parents waved them off as they got in and the limo drove off. All of the couples were talking. "You smell good," Quinn noted, her head leaning against Jeff's chest as he had his arm around her.

"You like it?" Jeff looked down at her. "I don't normally wear cologne but I thought you might like it if I did so…" he rambled.

"Aww, you're too good to me," she nuzzled into him.

"Hey, nothing is _ever_ too good for you," he kissed the top of her head.

Quinn smiled up at her boyfriend. "I love you so much."

"Not as much as I love you," he replied quietly.

Quinn couldn't argue with him when she saw just how he was looking at her. He was looking down as if she was the most amazing thing ever. His eyes were enough to make her melt inside; she could see the love he had for her in them. "_Just_ as much," she smiled, and she leant up to kiss him on the lips.

…

The dance was in full swing. Jeff was dancing with Rachel while Nick danced with Quinn. She looked over at her boyfriend and fellow Glee clubber. "Jeff's having a good time," she laughed as he and Rachel were both clearly pulling the most ridiculous dance moves they could.

"Totally," Nick grinned, craning his neck to see what was happening. "This is the first time he's come to one since freshman year. I'm glad he's having fun." He turned back to Quinn. "So he's still clueless about next week?"

"Totally," Quinn giggled. "So who is coming then?"

"Obviously you, me, Thad, David, Wes, Blaine…You've invited how many New Directions?"

"Nine are coming," she explained.

"Right, and then there's Jeff's siblings…Oh, and Ash is gonna meet us there!" Nick clicked his fingers.

"Ash? Who's Ash?" Quinn asked.

"Oh, Jeff's best friend from elementary school. I've seen her in photos that his parents have of him. As his best friend, naturally, I do have to have seen every photo of him there is," Nick smirked.

"Oh, totally. How else can you blackmail him?" Quinn laughed.

"Exactly!" Nick beamed. "Oh yeah, almost forgot, Wes, Thad and David are bringing their girlfriends, too."

"Wait, where are we all sleeping?" Quinn looked confused.

"Oh! We're staying at Ash's. I spoke to her on the phone, she said it was cool. Her house is _huge_. She showed me on video chat, we can totally all crash on her floor. She says she has like mattresses and stuff that we can use. It's gonna be _awesome_!" Nick grinned.

"What's gonna be awesome?" Jeff asked. He and Rachel had appeared at their respective partners' sides.

Nick glanced to Quinn. "You wanna tell him?"

"Can I?" she asked back.

"Don't see why not," Nick shrugged.

"Okay." She turned back to Jeff. "The Warblers, their girlfriends, your family, some of New Directions and I are taking you to…Where are we taking him?" she asked Nick.

"Virginia Beach. Suits you perfectly," he smirked.

"Shut up!" Jeff punched his best friend in the arm. "Seriously? Wait, that's where –"

"Ash lives?" Quinn finished his sentence for him. She laughed at his expression. "We know. We're all staying at hers."

Jeff counted in his head. "…So there's going to be 24 people in one house?"

"It's a big house, man," Nick nodded.

"S-so I'll get to see Ash again? _And_ get to go on a road trip? But-but why?" Jeff asked.

"What better way to celebrate your seventeenth _and_ give you the Dalton farewell you deserve?" Nick raised his eyebrows.

Jeff sucked on his lower lip. "You guys are awesome," he grinned, pulling Quinn and Nick in for a hug.

"We try," Quinn smirked as they broke apart.

The music playing behind them stopped and changed to a slower song – She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5. Jeff turned to face Quinn. "Quinn Fabray, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?" he asked, smiling, his hand outstretched.

"I'd love to," she returned his smile and took his hand. They both stepped onto the dance floor, and Jeff settled his hands on Quinn's hips. Her arms rested around his neck and they swayed. "This is…Perfect," she breathed.

"I know, right?" he replied quietly, smiling. "You really do look beautiful tonight, Quinn. Not that you don't every day, of course, but tonight you look just…Breathtaking," he grinned.

Quinn blushed. "Thank you. If I may also add, you look especially handsome tonight. And I wouldn't want to be standing here with anyone else."

"Me neither. I love you, Lucy Quinn Fabray."

"And I love you, Jeff Leonard Sterling," she smiled back up at him. He bent down and kissed her lightly. "Let me guess, couldn't help yourself?" Quinn smirked.

"You got it," Jeff laughed quietly.

When the song finished, it immediately changed to Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy. "I love this song!" Quinn bounced, excited.

Jeff's eyes widened. "How are you even _real_? Fall Out Boy are one of my favorite bands!"

"Next to McFly, of course," Quinn teased.

"Yes, next to McFly," Jeff deadpanned.

"Hey, I'm not insulting your music taste. I think it's kinda cute," she started dancing along to the music.

He took her hand and twirled her round, dancing with her. "I think _you're_ kinda cute," he smirked.

"I knew you'd do that!" Quinn laughed. "I can't be as cute as you, though," she retaliated.

"You're already cuter," Jeff smiled.

Quinn blushed, "Stop being so adorable! No, wait. Don't," she looked up at him with a small smile.

"Only when you do. So never," Jeff shrugged.

Quinn wrapped her arms around Jeff's neck and hugged him. "I really love you, you know," she said into his ear.

He hugged her back, kissing her head. "I know," he beamed. "I love you too. And I still can't believe how someone like _you_ is –"

"Stop that!" Quinn warned. "If anything, I'm lucky to have you. Normally, the only guys that aren't scared to talk to me are douchebags. So that makes _you_ special. And I know this sounds weird, but I'm kinda glad that Finn cheated on me."

"I am too," Jeff grinned. "Because I wouldn't have met you, and you would still be dating that jerk."

"And I'd still be thinking that everything's about being popular when really…You just gotta enjoy life, you know?"

"Exactly!" Jeff beamed. He sighed happily. "Thank you for tonight. This has been the best night of my _life_."

Quinn smiled. "Mine, too."


	12. Road Trip

A/N: I never really know what to say in these anymore. Thank you so so much for reviewing and stuff :D The Warblers' girlfriends' names were given to me by Luke (lucius-derpius) and Terrah (terrachu) on Tumblr, and Ash is named after dfreakincriss on here and on Tumblr :D

Disclaimer: Seriously?

Enjoy!

…

Jeff was piling his and Quinn's stuff into the trunk of the bus they were travelling in. "I can't believe your dad used to drive the tour bus for Fall Out Boy, Nick!" Quinn exclaimed as she got in.

"Why do you think I became friends with him in the first place?" Jeff teased.

"Love you too, buddy," Nick called from the open window of the bus. "I can't believe they let Dad keep this thing! I guess since it's just a plain bus…"

"It's still really cool," Quinn beamed. "And it's really cool of your dad to drive us and stuff."

"He's just making sure Nick and Rachel keep it in their pants," Jeff smirked as he got in. He kissed the top of Quinn's head. "Just need to wait for everyone else now, right?" he asked Nick.

"Yep," Nick nodded. "And where's my kiss?" he pouted.

"Shut up," Jeff hit him round the head playfully.

…

Once everyone was in the bus and Nick's dad had started driving, they all introduced themselves by stating their names and playing '2 Truths, 1 Lie'. Blaine went first.

"My name is Blaine Anderson. I'm an only child. I once fell out of a tree without breaking a single bone. I have an unhealthy obsession with zombies."

"You fell out of a tree and _didn't break anything_?" Mike exclaimed.

"No way, man, that's gotta be the lie," Artie remarked, and the other members of New Directions nodded.

"Final answer?" Blaine asked. They all nodded. "You're wrong. I'm not obsessed with zombies. In fact, they creep me out to high heaven," Blaine shuddered.

"How did you manage to survive falling out of a tree then?" Mercedes asked.

"Oh, the drop was only a couple of feet or so, and I landed on my feet."

"So you're, like, a cat?" Brittany asked.

"Well, not really, I'm not, but I guess it was kinda cat-like how I did that," Blaine smiled at her.

"Okay, my turn!" a voice next to Blaine piped up. "My name is Sam Evans. I'm originally from Texas. I sometimes stick pens between my fingers and pretend I'm Wolverine. I want to design my own comic book when I'm older."

"Easy," David mused smugly. "There's no way that accent's Texan. That's a Tennessee drawl. Am I right?"

"Yeah, I made that kinda easy, huh?" Sam laughed.

Jeff laughed with him until he realised it was his turn. "Oh! My name is Jeff Sterling. I wrote a letter once to Emma Watson asking if one day she'd marry me. I once fed my cat cheese, not realising it would die. I got caught for breaking into my neighbour's house."

"No way someone like you would break into someone else's house," Santana looked at Jeff questioningly. "That's a lie."

"No, actually, I did do that," Jeff nodded.

"What?" came the collective response from everyone.

"Wow, maybe you aren't such a goody two-shoes after all," Santana winked at him.

Quinn glared at her before shivering. "The AC's _freezing_ in here!"

"Maybe it's something to do with that tank top you're wearing, Fabray," Santana smirked back.

Jeff crawled over to her and hugged her from behind, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. "Wow, you really _are_ cold," he murmured into her ear.

"Well, I did bring a sweatshirt onto the bus with me…" she started, leaning back onto him.

"Go put it on then, silly," he grinned.

"Hmm, a sweatshirt versus my insanely gorgeous boyfriend hugging me…" Quinn smiled lopsidedly.

"So, Jeff, what was that lie?" Tina asked.

"Oh, it was the cat thing. Yeah, my cat's still alive."

"Wait, you _genuinely_ wrote to Emma Watson asking if she'd marry you?" Sam asked in disbelief.

"I was 8!" he defended. "She didn't even answer anyway.

"Cute," Santana threw him a smile. Quinn scoffed.

Jeff rested his chin on Quinn's shoulder. "What's wrong?" he asked her, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Like you don't know," Quinn sighed. "Santana was all over you just then."

"Was she?" Jeff asked, confused.

"Don't act like that, you know she was," Quinn started to wriggle away, embarrassed.

"Actually, I don't," Jeff shuffled back up to Quinn. "I wasn't really paying attention to her. Who could when the most beautiful woman in the world is sat _right here_?" He kissed her cheek. "I love you so much, Lucy."

"Why do you still call me Lucy sometimes?" Quinn asked.

"Because. You say there's Lucy and then there's Quinn, right?" Quinn nodded. "I fell in love with Lucy Quinn. With _all_ of you. And I just want you to know that you are the most amazing thing to ever happen to me and that I don't care about what you've done because I know you. I know that the bitchy, popularity-hungry Quinn wasn't _really_ you. Now you're coming back out of your shell and you're this…This beautiful woman whom I'm so lucky to have." He squeezed her.

"You're the lucky one?" Quinn asked breathlessly. "My boyfriend's just given me the best compliment I've ever received, told me that he accepts me totally and thinks that _he's_ lucky to have _me_." She turned around, cupped his cheek and kissed him. "Jeff, I haven't loved you more than I do right now."

"And if I loved you any more than I do now, the entire universe would implode," Jeff grinned against her hair.

"You are such a dork," Quinn giggled.

"And you _love it_," Jeff grinned back playfully.

"You bet I do," she smiled, interlocking their fingers.

…

"Okay, kids, quick lunch stop!" Nick's dad called as he opened the doors of the bus. They all emptied out of the bus, to everyone else's surprise. Other people in the parking lot were open-mouthed when they saw 23 kids getting out of this bus.

"Role check!" Mr Duval yelled. "So we have…Mike, Tina, Brittany, Santana, Artie, Sam, Mercedes, Kurt, Rachel and Quinn, could you guys just put your hands up, please?" He counted all the raised hands. "Now we got…Nick, obviously. Jeff, yep. Wes and Emily? Ah yes! David and Molly? And Thad and Lucy. Er, oh yeah! And Blaine, of course," Mr Duval hit his own head jokingly. "Which just leaves the Sterlings, who are all here. Awesome! Let's go eat!"

Quinn's arms were folded across her chest. "What's wrong?" Jeff asked, putting his arm around her.

"I'm just a little cold, and I left my hoodie in the bus. I'll be fine," she smiled up at him.

Jeff immediately pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "I can't have my lady being cold, now, can I?" he asked with a lopsided smile.

She smiled, blushing, as she pulled her arms through the jacket. "You're the best, you know that?" She hugged him tightly around the waist.

He snaked his arm around her waist. "I'm _really _not," he countered.

"You keep saying that, when you are! Why can't you see that?" she asked as they were hurried inside.

"Because I've never been good enough for _anyone_ before. After sixteen years of believing you're not even worth the shirt on your back, you find it hard to see yourself as anything else," he mumbled.

"Well, you are _too_ good for me," Quinn leant her head against his chest.

"Now _that_ is impossible," Jeff squeezed her. "I still haven't fulfilled my promise."

"What's that?" Quinn asked, puzzled.

"I _still_ haven't proved to you how much I love you," Jeff kissed the top of her head.

When they got into the restaurant, they all had to break off and find their own tables. Jeff and Quinn found a table for two and sat at it. Quinn bit at her lip. "Jeff, there's something I want to show you," she blurted out.

"Sure! What is it?" Jeff asked.

Quinn fumbled around in her bag and hesitantly gave Jeff a picture. "This," she said, pushing it across the table to him, "is what Lucy Fabray looks like."

Jeff looked down at the picture, then back to her. She sniffed, and he leant over the table to kiss her cheek. "This is the girl I fell in love with? This is Lucy?" he asked her. She nodded. He took her hand and squeezed it. "Why do you look so upset?"

"Because you probably think I'm a horrible person for changing myself so much."

"Hey! I could never, _ever_ think you're a horrible person. You've always been beautiful. I can say that now," he laughed slightly, cupping her face in his hand. "Your eyes are still the same gorgeous brown, your lips are still in that perfect shape," he brushed his thumb gently over her lips. "Why should I stop loving you because you tried to feel better about yourself?"

Quinn looked up at him through her lashes. "So you _don't_ hate me?"

"Quinn! I could never hate you!" Jeff replied, wounded.

Quinn played with his fingers. "So you've told me how you think of me and stuff. Can I tell you how I feel about you now?" Jeff nodded. "You know, Lucy never really had any friends. She used to dream them up. She had her two perfect best friends and her perfect boyfriend all up here," she tapped her head. "The boyfriend had blonde hair that would always fall into his brown eyes, the most adorable smile, be quite a bit taller than her and would always be there for her. Sound familiar?" she smirked.

Jeff's mouth fell open, speechless. "I – I can't – Are you _serious_?" he asked.

Quinn nodded. "So you _are_ perfect. And now you can't deny it," she smirked.

"I love you," Jeff grinned.

"I love you, too."

…

It was 8:30pm by the time they'd reached Ash's house. She opened the door and flung her arms around Jeff. "Oh my God! Hi! You're so tall now! And you're _blonde_!"

Jeff laughed. "It's nice to see you again, too, Ash!"

"Now where's my second favorite Warbler?" she asked, as Nick came into sight. They waved to each other before Ash opened the door wider. "Well, come on then! All of you in!"

They all looked around open-mouthed. Nick wasn't kidding when he said this house was huge! "This. Is. Awesome," Sam noted.

Ash laughed. "Er, thanks! My brothers moved all the furniture so that there's enough room for you guys. So who wants pizza?"

…

After they'd ordered and eaten the pizza, they all decided to play Spin the Bottle. So far, Jeff had kissed Sam and Blaine; Quinn had kissed Wes, Mike and Tina.

It was now Nick's turn. He spun the bottle until it landed on…Rachel? Nope, it's still movi-Quinn. It had to be. Nick shuffled over on his knees to Quinn, cupped her face in his hands and fully kissed her lips. The rule was that the kiss had to last at least 10 seconds, but it was 37 before Nick and Quinn split up. Jeff knew – he was counting. Quinn kept giggling throughout. He looked on at them both, a mixture of emotions. Jealousy – that Quinn never did that with _him_; disappointment – that Nick would keep going even though he had Rachel; self-pity – that he hadn't seen this coming before. He brought his knees up and tucked his face in them.

Ash looked over at him and saw that he was clearly upset. She went over to him and rubbed his back soothingly. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"Why would anything be wrong? It's only my best friend and girlfriend sucking face, right?" he asked, his voice slightly muffled by his legs.

"So? You've kissed _two guys_," she reminded him.

"Yeah, but that was only for 10 seconds, just like everyone else did. They did it for almost four times that, and…" He sighed. "Remember when I wrote you that email about how someone left me for my friend?" Ash nodded. "It was for Nick, but he didn't like Caitlin. He likes Quinn," he glared at his best friend, who had returned to his place.

"Jeff, I know you haven't always been the most confident of people, but stop being paranoid. I hate seeing you upset," Ash hugged her oldest friend. "I'll ask them what was up."

Ash walked over to Nick and whispered in his ear. He replied to her, covering his mouth so that nobody could see, and Ash just kept nodding. She then went over to Quinn and did the same, before returning to Jeff.

"Neither of them are mad at you for being paranoid, firstly," she started. "They knew you might get like this. Also, Nick said that he thought we'd say it wouldn't count if Quinn kept giggling, so he tried to keep actually kissing her for only 10 seconds. Quinn said she kept giggling because she was so nervous because he was the person she _least_ wanted to kiss."

Jeff's back straightened, and his face softened. He smiled at Nick and waved to Quinn apologetically. They both returned his gestures, and he sighed with relief.

"Alright, guys, I think it's time we all got to bed," Blaine called, and everyone made noises of agreement, or yawned, showing that they agreed.

…

"Goodnight, Quinn," Jeff smiled as he slipped an arm around her from behind, fitting her just perfectly.

"Goodnight, Jeff," Quinn smiled back sleepily, snuggling into him.


	13. Birthday

A/N: I know I'm getting slower with updates, school's a drag -_-

Dogs' names provided by Lala (nevillekicksbottom) and Dali (dalidarling) on Tumblr, and Ash is still modelled after dfreakincriss :D

(Also, if you're a fan of The Glee Project, you'll like this chapter. Just sayin'.)

I think I've done enough disclaimers to prove that I don't own anything besides the OCs and the storyline.

Enjoy!

…

Quinn's phone rang twice before she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Quinn?" Her mother was on the other end, and…Was she _crying_?

"Yeah, Mom, what's up? Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Quinn started to become more panicked.

"No, I'm not hurt. It's your dad, he-he's been announced dead, Quinn," her mom sobbed.

Quinn froze for several minutes before she could get anything out. "What?" she asked in a small shaky voice.

"He was k-killed in battle, Quinn."

"No! No, he wasn't! He wouldn't do that to me!" Quinn cried out, hanging up. She ran through her bedroom door and into her church, where everyone was wearing black. She walked up to the other end of the hall, shaking her head until she reached the long box with her dad inside. "No!" she shrieked. "No, come on, Dad, this is not funny anymore. Get up! Get _out_! _Please_!"

…

Quinn woke up, crying but in Jeff's arms. He was holding her close to his chest, rubbing circles on her back soothingly, comforting her by saying, "Hey, it's okay, you're awake now and your dad's fine." He kissed her wet cheek and then her forehead. "There we go, see? Your dad hasn't even left yet!"

Quinn sniffed. "I know, but it's – it's just – the thought of him…" she trailed off, sobbing.

Jeff stroked her hair. "Your dad's already survived one war, remember. And besides, that was just a dream. Your dad's still alive and well, okay?" He wiped the tears off of Quinn's face.

Quinn took a while to calm down before she answered him. "You're right, I'm sorry. I've set a bad start to your birthday, huh?" she sniffed, holding his hand.

He squeezed her hand. "What, you mean by me waking up next to the most gorgeous woman in the world _ever_ who also happens to be my girlfriend?" He bent his head to whisper in her ear. "This is the best birthday ever." Quinn couldn't help but beam up at him. "Hey, you're happy now!" he grinned.

"Well, that's because you're contagious," she leant back onto him and he kissed her head. "Wait, where are all the others?"

"Taking Ash's dogs for a walk. I stayed behind in case you woke up, and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't want you waking up on your own after having a nightmare!" he hugged her tightly.

…

By the time everyone had returned, Quinn and Jeff had gotten dressed and cleaned up. Ash's dogs, two beagles called Benjamin and Rocket, greeted the two blondes as the dogs were released from their leads. "I can see why this one is called Rocket," Quinn laughed as one jumped up and down around her.

"Yeah, we should have named him Chair or something if we knew he was going to live up to his name," Ash shrugged before laughing. "Happy birthday, Jeff!" She ran and hugged him tightly.

He squeezed her back. "Thanks, Ash!" he grinned.

"How does it feel being 17 at last?" David smirked.

"It doesn't feel any different, really. But at least I'm now the same age as you guys!" He chuckled. "I can finally be free of your taunts about only being 16 and yet I won't even be returning to Dalton," he sighed.

"Yeah, but you're transferring to McKinley! Mom told us to tell you," Jodie called from his side, before hugging him. "Happy birthday, Jeffy."

Jeff hugged his sister back in thanks before Kurt cut in with a "So I take it you'll want your presents?"

…

After receiving an entire outfit from Kurt and Blaine ("Trust us, we've seen your wardrobe," Kurt remarked as Jeff was opening it.), walkie-talkies from Nick ("I still might need my Agent Six!" "Yeah, Nick, for test answers."), a watch from David, a gavel from Wes ("As a souvenir, of course.") and money from everyone else, Quinn handed Jeff a wrapped present. Jeff gave her a warm smile. "Baby, you didn't need to get me anything!"

"Of course I did, it's your birthday!" Quinn laughed.

Jeff wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, kissing her. "Having you as a girlfriend makes up for _any_ present," he grinned.

Quinn giggled like a schoolgirl before regaining her composure. "Come on, open it!" she urged. Jeff opened it to find an entire album filled with pictures of him, his family, and his friends. "I thought it would be like your little good book again, and look inside!"

Jeff flipped open to a page and saw something scrawled on it.

_Jeff,_

_Thanks for being awesome. Have a great time outside of Dalton. We'll miss you!_

_Blaine._

There were little messages from everyone on almost every page. Jeff stood there, unable to move. "This is awesome," he beamed, and he genuinely looked and felt happy. "Thank you so much!" He kissed Quinn on the cheek.

"Aw, come on, a measly kiss on the cheek? You can do better," Nick joked.

"In front of my little brothers and sister _and_ all of you guys?" Jeff raised his eyebrows.

"Touché," Nick nodded.

…

They were at the beach. Kurt was still wearing his black polo shirt with white pants, refusing to even roll them up a little. ("David, these pants cost more than your entire wardrobe. There's no way I'm ruining these.") Blaine, on the other hand, was chasing Brittany around because she kept making fun of his height, much to everyone else's amusement.

Jeff was wearing just his swim shorts, and Quinn a tank top and skirt with her bathing suit underneath. She was lying on a towel on her stomach. Jeff lay opposite her on the sand. "Hey," he grinned, his nose barely touching hers.

"Hey," she giggled.

He kissed the tip of her nose. "You're going to get burnt, lying like that."

"Is that your way of offering to put sun cream on my back?" she smirked.

"Maybe," he bit his lip bashfully, looking down.

Quinn tipped his head up and kissed him. "I'd love it if you did."

Jeff grabbed the bottle of suntan lotion and put his legs either side of Quinn's back. He squirted some into his hand, rubbed his hands together and started to rub the cream into her back. He massaged it into the grooves of her back, and she made small noises of appreciation. Jeff chuckled quietly as his hands moved up to caress her neck. As he did, he bent down to kiss her cheek. "All done."

Quinn pouted. "Are you sure you can't just apply _one_ more layer?" she asked, tilting her head up to look at him.

Jeff laughed. "I guess you can never be _too_ protected." He squirted some more into his hands and started to rub her back again.

"You're really good with your hands," Quinn smiled dreamily, closing her eyes.

Jeff flushed a dark red at her words. "Th-thanks," he grinned sheepishly.

…

That evening, Ash had decided to take everyone to a teen club. "Come on, it's karaoke night! And Jeff, you're singing." She linked her arm through his as they walked through the street.

"Oh, I don't know…" Jeff started. "I'm a background singer!"

"Come on, Jeff!" Quinn linked her arm through Jeff's other one. "I'll sing with you if you really want," she squeezed his arm.

Jeff rolled his eyes. "Fine!" They continued walking. "This feels awesome, having my two favorite girls on each arm," he grinned down at the two girls.

"Hey!" Jodie called from behind them in an offended voice. Sam bent down to whisper something in her ear and she giggled.

"Do I want to know?" Jeff asked, looking round.

"No! No, you don't," Jodie glared.

"Don't worry, man, it was just a harmless flirt," Sam assured.

Jeff shrugged. "Two _of my_ favorite girls on each arm," he corrected himself.

"I've missed you, Jeffers," Ash grinned.

"Jeffers?" Quinn leant forward to look at Ash.

"He was Jeffers, and I was Ash Cloud," she smirked.

"Aw, that's cute," Tina noted.

Jeff and Ash grinned at each other. "I've missed my Ash Cloud," he rested his head on Ash's.

…

"You can't back out now, Jeff! We just added you and Quinn to the list. You're on after this guy," Wes pointed to the stage where an Irish boy, Damian McGinty, was performing.

"He's good," David nodded.

"Think we can convince him to move to Westerville?" Thad joked.

"Totally. Just get Blaine to turn his charm on," Nick waggled his eyebrows.

"I highly doubt he's gay," Blaine deadpanned.

"Who's not gay?" Quinn asked. Her and Rachel had been in the bathroom.

Jeff pointed to the stage. "That Damian kid. Apparently."

Quinn and Rachel looked sideways at each other and both broke out into fits of giggles. "He's definitely into guys."

"Rather, _that_ guy," Rachel pointed over to a guy who was sitting on the edge of his seat, watching the singer perform in awe. "I gather his name is Cameron, because that's what we could hear from the bathroom," both she and Quinn giggled again.

"The walls here are really thin," Quinn laughed.

"Go on then, Blaine!" Thad urged.

"I think you're forgetting something," Kurt interjected. "Allow me to jog your memory. Kurt Hummel. In the same choir as you until last Wednesday. Currently dating Blaine."

Thad rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kurt."

The sounds of applause and cheering signalled that Damian had finished. Now it was Jeff and Quinn's turn. "Oh, and don't worry. Wes and I took the liberty of picking out your _favorite_ artist," David smirked.

Jeff looked back at them worriedly before going to the stage with Quinn. When they got there, the song name and artist came up: Love Me – Justin Bieber. "I hate you!" Jeff called to the Warblers jokingly as the music played.

**[Jeff] **_My friends say I'm a fool to think that you're the one for me  
>I guess I'm just a sucker for love<br>'Cause honestly the truth is that you know I'm never leavin'  
>'Cause you're my angel sent from above<em>

**[Quinn] **_Baby, you can do no wrong  
>My money is yours, give you a little more because I love ya, love ya<br>With me, girl, is where you belong  
>Just stay right here, I promise my dear I'll put nothin' above ya, 'bove ya<em>

**[Both] **_Love me, love me, say that you love me  
>Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me<br>Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me  
>Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you love me<em>

_Love me, love me, say that you love me  
>Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me<br>Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me  
>Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you love me<em>

**[Jeff] **_People try to tell me, but I still refuse to listen  
>'Cause they don't get to spend time with you<br>_**[Quinn] **_A minute with you is worth more than a thousand days without your love  
>Oh your love, oh<em>

_Baby, you can do no wrong  
>My money is yours, give you a little more because I love ya, love ya<br>With me, girl, is where you belong  
>Just stay right here, I promise my dear I'll put nothin' above ya, 'bove ya<em>

**[Both] **_Love me, love me, say that you love me  
>Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me<br>Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me  
>Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you love me<em>

_Love me, love me, say that you love me  
>Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me<br>Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me  
>Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you love me<em>

**[Quinn] **_My heart is blind, but I don't care  
>'Cause when I'm with you, everything has disappeared<br>And every time I hold you near  
>I never wanna let you go, oh<em>

**[Both] **_Love me, love me, say that you love me  
>Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me<br>Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me  
>Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you love me<em>

_Love me, love me, say that you love me  
>Fool me, fool me, oh how you do me<br>Kiss me, kiss me, say that you miss me  
>Tell me what I wanna hear, tell me you love me<em>

They finished to wild applause and cheering. There were several wolf-whistles from the guys, obviously directed at Quinn. Jeff protectively scooped her in his arms, lowering her, and kissed her right there on the stage, followed by squeals and cheers. "What was that for?" Quinn asked breathlessly.

Jeff pulled her back up again. "Couldn't help myself," he grinned. "I love you, and I don't care who knows!"

"Was this part of your whole 'trying to show me how much you love me' thing?" Quinn asked, biting her lip as she grinned.

"Yeah," Jeff flushed, "and I'm only just getting started. You just wait until Tuesday."

"Wait, what's happening on Tuesday?"

"You'll see," Jeff pressed his forehead against hers and kissed her lightly.

"Jeff, I should be the one doing stuff for you! It's your birthday!" she sighed, but she couldn't help giggling a little.

"Not on Tuesday, it isn't. And besides, just having you around more than makes up for anything you could do," he ran a finger down her jaw, and she giggled again. "I think we should probably get off the stage now," Jeff laughed.

He jumped off and stayed there for Quinn, standing with his back to her. She knew what it meant, and wrapped her arms around his neck as she leapt onto his back. Jeff adjusted her so that they were both comfortable before going to get them a drink. "So, as far as birthdays go, on a scale of 1-10…" Quinn began.

Jeff turned his head to face her. "36."


	14. Changes

A/N: Hello again :D Okay, so this chapter was mostly influenced by Glee spoilers (not much, just Quinn's sudden change of appearance) and the fact that I wanted Jeff to have some more development of his past.

Disclaimer: You know it by now.

Enjoy!

…

Jeff woke up, saw that Quinn was still sleeping and gently shuffled her so that he could get up without waking her. He turned and jumped as he was greeted by an extreme close-up of one of Ash's dogs. "You scared me, Benji," Jeff said quietly, chuckling as he got up to go to the bathroom.

When he came out, he saw Ash, who grinned and hugged him. "Morning, Jeffers!"

"Morning, Ash Cloud," he grinned. "Can't you sleep either?"

Ash shook her head. "The dogs woke me up and now they won't let me go back to sleep."

"How about we go and walk the dogs, then they'll sleep, and so can you!" Jeff suggested.

Ash chuckled. "Sure."

…

Out of politeness, Jeff had agreed to take hold of Rocket as he was the more energetic dog. However, it was still extremely difficult for him not to fall over as Rocket was a lot stronger than Jeff anticipated. Ash giggled as Jeff's struggles became more obvious. "Rocket! Slow," she commanded, and the dog began to trot slowly alongside Jeff.

"Thanks," he grinned.

"No problem. So what's new in Ohio?" Ash asked him.

"Nothing really. Well, apparently I'm transferring to Quinn's school, so that'll be awesome," he smiled.

"Yeah, why were you in an all-boys school? Couldn't handle getting caught by one of your many girlfriends?" she teased.

He let out a single laugh. "I wish. No, no. Total opposite. I was getting beaten up daily just for being smart. And it wasn't like I was 'one of the geeks' who all band together or anything. Sometimes, I'd get better test results than _them_, so even they rejected me." He sighed. "Dalton has a strict policy on bullying. Get reported once and you're out. So Mom and Dad decided that would be best for me."

Ash wrapped her arms around Jeff. "I'm sorry to hear that." She broke off once Rocket started running around again as he'd looped his lead around her ankle and she didn't want to fall over. "But you made some good friends, and all the others seem to like you!" she said as she untangled herself.

Jeff grinned. "Yeah, the Warblers are like my brothers. We're all a family, and I'll miss them like hell."

"Well, it's summer soon, right? You could totally plan Warbler barbecues and stuff," Ash suggested.

"That's a great idea! But it'll be a Warbler-and-Ash barbecue," he beamed.

Ash laughed. "Yeah! I'll come visit you guys in Ohio over the summer. I wanna see how much Westerville has changed."

"Quite a bit has changed since you moved here. That old park that we used to play in is still there, though," he chuckled.

"Oh my God, really? Does it still have that old swing set that squeaked so loud, you were always worried it would break whilst you were on it?"

Jeff nodded, laughing. "And the teeter-totter that sent you flying at the lightest kick!"

"Oh my God, it's still a death trap! Why has nobody replaced them?" Ash's eyes widened.

"I don't know, ask the people responsible!" Jeff shrugged. He sighed happily. "I haven't laughed like this in _ages_," he smiled at Ash. "Thank you," he squeezed her, pinning her arms to the side.

Ash opened her mouth to reply when Jeff's phone went off. "Indiana Jones? Seriously?" she smirked.

"It makes things sound more epic!" Jeff defended. He looked at the screen.

**Fr: Blaine  
>Jeff, just because you're 17 now doesn't mean you can just Disapparate whenever you want! Where have you and Ash gone?<strong>

**To: Blaine  
>You're the same age, you could have just used 'Accio Jeff', surely? ;) And we're walking the dogs until they get tired so that Ash can get back to sleep.<strong>

**Fr: Blaine  
>In front of Muggles? :O How dare you, Jeff! I might get my wand snapped in half! And alright, it's just that we were gonna go look around the town, so do you wanna meet us there?<strong>

Jeff laughed. "What's so funny?" Ash asked.

"Oh, just Blaine. We're meeting up with everyone else in the town center," he replied.

"And why was that so funny?" Ash asked.

"Oh, it wasn't that. Blaine likes to turn everything into a Harry Potter reference," he explained.

"I think Blaine and I will get on very well," Ash nodded, and they both laughed.

"I think so, too. Just try to keep that stuff to a minimum around Kurt. He's trying to domesticate Blaine a little. He's like a puppy!" Jeff cooed.

"And puppies need a little time off to play occasionally!" Ash raised her eyebrows.

"Exactly! But try telling Kurt that. Or Wes and David for that matter." He sighed. "As much as I love those guys – in a platonic, brotherly way," he added loudly, making Ash laugh, "sometimes they need to learn to let loose a little."

"I think I can get them to do that," Ash smirked.

"If you can, then I will buy you…Whatever you want. As long as I can afford it, of course," he raised his eyebrows.

"Does your budget stretch as far as Red Vines?" Ash asked with a smile.

"I think it might," he laughed.

…

Once everyone had met up, they all went to the Waffle House for breakfast.

"Do you like waffles?" Ash had asked when they were deciding where to go.

"Yeah, we like waffles!" Nick and Jeff replied almost instantly before high-fiving.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Five-year-olds," he looked at them accusingly.

"Look, just come on!" Ash urged them all forward.

Jeff walked around the others to where Quinn was standing, and took her hand. "I haven't had the chance to say good morning to you yet," he kissed her cheek. She kept a cool demeanour. "Baby, what's wrong?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her.

She shrugged away from him. "Just don't…You scared me this morning, leaving like that. What if I'd had another bad dream, Jeff? How could I explain why I'm waking up crying?"

"Quinn, I am so sorry," Jeff ran after her as she walked off. "I woke up earlier than you and you looked so _peaceful_ and I didn't want to wake you up, so I went to the bathroom and Ash couldn't sleep because the dogs were keeping her up so I told her I'd help tire the dogs out so that she could get some rest and I didn't even _think_ that –"

Quinn turned on her heel to face Jeff and put her finger on his lips. "Jeff. Breathe." He let out a long breath before she continued. "I guess I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that. I'm sorry." She looked down at the ground.

Jeff looked down at her. "Wait, conclusions? Like what?"

"Well, when you and Ash were both gone, I thought maybe…" she trailed off.

"You thought maybe, what?" Jeff asked her.

"Well, I thought you and her were – Forget it, I was being stupid."

"Yeah, you were." Jeff looked at her in disbelief, clearly offended. "Quinn, you should know me well enough to be assured that I would never cheat on you in a million years!"

"I also know how easily someone can be persuaded into cheating," Quinn replied quietly.

"Quinn, Ash and I are like twins! I could never see her in any other light than that. I just – I can't believe you would think that I'd do that to you, you know how much you mean to me!"

"I'm so sorry, Jeff. I – You mean everything to me and I couldn't _lose_ you, not like that! I lost Finn to Rachel when they started 'hanging out' as 'friends', and I know you two have been friends for ages, but I was scared you would leave me," she started to sob quietly.

Jeff wrapped an arm around her. "Don't cry," he said softly. "I guess I overreacted, I'm sorry. But I promise, I'll never leave you again. I should have told you where I was going."

"You shouldn't be sorry," she looked up at him. "I was the one who was too quick to judge."

"I'm not getting into _another_ fight with you, so let's just meet in the middle and say we're both sorry, yeah?" Jeff smiled. "Now, come on, let's get some food in you!"

…

They left the restaurant 45 minutes later, all feeling bloated.

"I never want to see another waffle again!" James groaned, to laughter.

"Can we just wait until this feeling passes before we go?" John asked.

"That sounds like a good idea," Artie leaned back in his chair so that his head rolled and closed his eyes.

"Jeff?" Quinn asked quietly, her hand in his.

"Yeah?" he replied, swinging their arms a little.

"What would you say if I were to change my look…Again?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Why do you want to change?" he asked, frowning.

"I just…I don't know. I guess I just want to feel better about myself now after all this," she shrugged.

He cupped her face with his free hand and kissed her sweetly. "If it'll make _you_ feel good, then I won't mind at all. You're still the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, and that's never changing. If changing the way you look is going to make you see how amazingly gorgeous you are, then I'm all for it!" he grinned.

She beamed back and hugged him tightly. "I love you," she said into his chest.

"And I love you. So freaking much." He stroked her hair. "And I don't want to lose you _ever_. So trust me when I say that I'll always be faithful to you." Quinn looked down and twiddled one of her necklaces. On it was a ring. "Where'd you get that from?" Jeff asked.

"Oh, when I dated Sam, he gave me this, promising what you just did." She sighed. "Before I cheated on him with Finn."

"…Oh." Jeff eventually said. "B-but that's all in the past now, right?"

"Definitely," she assured him.

"Awesome."

…

By the end of the day, the girls had gotten home before the guys. When the guys arrived, most of them we ushered out of the house again. "But not you, Jeff," Jodie pulled him back in. "You and Quinn are having some 'alone time.'" She waggled her eyebrows. "Just don't do anything that we wouldn't!" She called as she shut the door behind her, leaving Jeff alone in the front room.

"Er…Quinn? Are you here?" he asked, looking around.

He heard the bathroom door open, so he turned around and his mouth dropped. Quinn leant against the doorway, but she didn't look like the Quinn Jeff had said goodbye to a few hours ago. She had pink streaks in her hair; she was wearing a black tank top and a leather jacket, and boots that climbed up her thighs and _God_, she looked hot! "You gonna say something or are you just gonna stand there gawping?" Quinn raised her eyebrows.

Jeff walked straight over to her, grabbed her by the jacket and pulled her in to kiss her hungrily. Her fingers fisted in his hair as she kissed back with just as much passion. Jeff backed them both so that Quinn's back was against the wall. She moaned into his mouth, lapping at his bottom lip. He parted his lips slightly and they explored each other's mouths. Quinn suckled on Jeff's tongue and he moaned, his eyes rolling back. He retaliated by pulling the jacket off of her and breaking the kiss off to plant soft, sweet ones on her neck, finding the sensitive spot and suckling on it. He nibbled at it and her head rolled back as she groaned. He continued kissing her neck, holding onto her hips as he did so. "You're – so – freaking – _hot_," he gasped between kisses. He pulled himself back up to kiss her roughly again, one hand in her hair, one on the wall to steady himself.

This time Quinn broke it off, purring, "You're not so bad yourself," before attaching her mouth to the base of Jeff's neck, just where it meets the shoulder. She bit at it mercilessly, making Jeff croak with pleasure.

Her hands slid under Jeff's shirt, and he pulled himself away. "Quinn," he licked his lips, "I – That was – Whoa," he shook his head. "But I don't want you to be in the same situation you were with Beth. Feel free to keep the look for as long as you want, though," he purred, capturing her lips.

Quinn kissed him back, pulling his head down before saying in his ear, "Thank you. I – I got a little out of control there," she blushed. "But if this is the kind of make-out session I get with you with this look, I'm definitely keeping it," she raised an eyebrow.

"You should," he grinned playfully, pulling her gently away from the wall and leading her to the couch in the corner. "You wanna watch a movie?" he asked.

"Sure," she beamed up at him.

…

By the time everyone else came home, Kick-Ass was still playing on the TV, and Quinn and Jeff were asleep on the couch. "James, you owe me ten bucks!" Blaine called, and Ash shushed him.

"Come on, guys, let them sleep. God knows what they've been up to while we've been gone," she smirked. "'Night!" she called, waving as she went into her room.

"Should we do anything?" Nick whispered to Thad.

"Nah. Let 'em sleep. They probably need it," he laughed. "Goodnight, guys!"


	15. Meeting Beth Again

A/N: Apologies for late posting. My best friend's in a coma and I have exams coming up that are vital if I want to go to uni and everything's taking my time up so I've kind of had to deprioritise this. I'll still keep writing though! I still have lots of ideas floating round my head :3

I love reviews like Ross Lynch loves Avatar ;D

Enjoy!

…

Jeff rubbed his eyes wearily as he woke up, wondering why there was something pressing against his left cheek. When his vision had cleared, he saw that his face was leaning on the back of a couch. He moved his head to see Quinn sleeping, hugging him tightly while his arm was around her. He smiled to himself, running his hand up and down the side of her body soothingly.

He was interrupted by Thad. "So what did you two get up to last night?" he raised his eyebrows.

Jeff took a pillow that was wedged in his side and threw it at the other Warbler. "Shut up! Nothing like _that_," he hissed.

"Then what was that on your neck? We saw from the angle you were sleeping in," he smirked.

Jeff turned bright red. "That? That was just…" he mumbled.

"Just..? What, an insect bite?" Nick asked as he came in from overhearing the conversation. "Sure, if it was the _love bug_," he stretched out the last two words with a wicked grin.

"You're one to talk," Jeff smirked back.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked.

"Oh, so Rachel's just suddenly found a new passion for scarves? In the _spring_?" Jeff raised his eyebrows.

Nick flushed. "Shut up, Sterling," he glared at his best friend before picking the pillow up off the ground and throwing it back at him.

Jeff caught it just before it landed on Quinn. "Dude! She's still sleeping!" he hissed.

"Whoops, sorry!" Nick ran out of the room, and Jeff sighed.

He felt Quinn's hand form a fist, grabbing at his shirt before she smoothed it out again, opening her eyes. "Good morning, beautiful," he smiled. "See? I'm still here," he kissed the top of her head.

She smiled as she looked up at him. "Morning, gorgeous," she grinned as she leant up to kiss him. "Good sleep?"

"With you in my arms? Of course it was," he beamed. "How about you?"

She smiled bashfully at his response. "I had a _great_ sleep, thanks," she rested her head against his chest.

"Good. Because I have something special planned for you," he smiled into her hair in a singsong voice.

"I told you, you don't have –" Quinn started.

Jeff put a finger on her lips to shush her. "Yes, I do! You wanna know what it is?" Quinn nodded. "Well, this morning, Shelby's gonna be in town and we're gonna meet up with her and Beth. Sound good?"

Quinn sat up and looked at him. "That sounds _amazing_, I – Thank you, Jeff," she moved herself over him so that they were eye-level and kissed him again.

…

Quinn was wearing a yellow tank top, denim shorts and, of course, Jeff's yellow sunglasses. "I should have thought twice about this before realising what my entire wardrobe is like," she laughed, running a hand through her hair as they walked to the beach.

Jeff took her hand and twirled her round. "I think you look stunning like that. Very much like Ramona Flowers," he grinned.

"Who's Ramona Flowers?" Quinn asked.

The Warblers and Sterlings all gasped dramatically. "You're dating Jeff and you _don't_ know who Ramona Flowers is?"

"Stop going on about it!" Jeff glared at them all.

"Who is Ramona Flowers?" Quinn asked exasperatedly.

They all laughed. "Ramona Flowers is from the Scott Pilgrim series," Jeff tried to explain.

"Yeah, Ramona and Scott are dating, but they can't be officially boyfriend and girlfriend until he defeats all seven of her evil exes," Sam added.

"Right…But I don't have seven evil exes," Quinn looked at the two blonde boys, confused.

"No, but Ramona had pink hair and she'd wear clothes like yours," Jeff gestured at Quinn's outfit.

"Wait, not yet. She still needs roller skates and goggles!" Sam grinned.

"And a shoulder bag with a star on it because there's subspace inside!" Jeff bounced on the balls of his feet with excitement.

"I do not know you two," Quinn laughed, running off to join Ash. "Mind if I walk with you? They're busy turning me into a fictional character," she rolled her eyes.

Ash laughed. "Sure!" She fell into step with Quinn. "So, you having fun?" she asked, looking sideways at Quinn.

"Yeah! Thank you so much for letting this happen. I mean, Jeff's over the moon," they both looked behind to see Jeff and Sam laughing together, "and everyone's getting along and it's just nice to be away from Ohio for a while."

Ash smiled. "Good. Er, speaking of Jeff…You _do_ realise that if I hear that you've done anything bad to him –"

"I know, you'll be in Ohio before you can say…Scott Pilgrim," she gestured behind towards the boys and both girls laughed.

"Good, good. As long as you're aware," Ash smirked. "So come on, what really happened last night?"

"Nothing!" Quinn blushed.

"That, I find hard to believe. What's the matter, burn yourself on straighteners?" she laughed, pointing to Quinn's neck.

Quinn's hand moved instinctively to her neck – more specifically the place where Jeff had given her a love bite. Ash laughed. "Okay, so maybe we both got a little excited when we were making out," she blushed. "But nothing more than that happened! It _almost_ did, but…" Quinn stopped herself, but she knew she'd dug herself in a hole when Ash's eyes widened and a grin broke out across her face.

"Oh my God! What? What happened?" she asked excitedly.

Quinn rolled her eyes and pulled Ash closer so that she could speak quieter. "We were making out and then I reached under his shirt in the heat of the moment and he stopped me, because, well…Okay, please don't judge me for this or whatever, I have moved on since then, but last year, my then-boyfriend's best friend got me drunk and then pregnant. Jeff wanted to make sure that I wasn't caught up in that predicament again."

Ash licked her lips and paused for a few moments before answering. "Jeff's always been the gentleman. It's just that people can't look past all the nerdy references. So what happened to the baby?"

"I gave her up for adoption," Quinn answered, thankful that Ash was so okay with this. "Actually, Jeff got her adoptive mom to come up here, and today we're gonna go see her."

"I always knew he'd be a good boyfriend," Ash said with a small smile.

"W-wait, you don't _like_ him, do you?" Quinn asked.

"What? No! I used to, y'know, when we were kids. I was most upset about moving here because I wouldn't be able to see him. But we kept in contact and I stopped seeing him as that-best-friend-who-you-end-up-with-in-movies-and-junk and started seeing him as that-best-friend-who's-like-a-brother," she shrugged.

"Aw, young love," Quinn waggled her eyebrows.

"Shut up," Ash nudged her playfully. "Oh, and don't you _dare_ tell him, or I'll never hear the end of it!"

"Don't you dare tell who what?" Jeff asked, putting his arms around both girls.

"Nothing!" they both chorused.

"Okay, so it's 'don't you dare tell _Jeff_' something!" he exclaimed.

Ash sighed. "It's nothing for you to worry about."

"If it's nothing to worry about, then you can tell me," he raised his eyebrows. Quinn looked at Ash and tried not to burst out laughing. Jeff saw this. "Quiiiinn…" he turned his head slowly to face her. "What are you laughing at?" he smirked.

Quinn bit her lip. "N-nothing," she lied, her voice shaky with laughter.

"Are you sure?" Jeff raised his eyebrows again.

Quinn burst out laughing randomly and Ash exclaimed, "Fine! When we were younger, I used to have a bit of a crush on you. Happy?"

Jeff's face softened into a grin, a slightly satisfied one. "I always wondered why you wouldn't tell me who _you_ liked!"

"Hey, er, guys? Girlfriend here," Quinn reminded them, still giggling slightly.

Jeff rolled his eyes and moved his arms away from Ash to settle around Quinn's waist as he bent down to kiss her. "You know that you're the only girl for me," he smiled as they broke apart. "And you even proved to everyone else that I'm yours, remember?" he smirked, pointing to his neck.

Quinn blushed. "Don't act so innocent," she raised her eyebrows at him, lifting her hands to rest on his neck, her fingertips lightly brushing the mark.

Jeff gasped. "Stop it, you, we're in public," he purred, a smile climbing his face. "And we've got a little girl to go and spoil, remember?" he asked, putting one arm around her waist as they walked off.

Quinn laughed. "By the way, you weren't serious about the whole making me look like this Ramona girl, right?"

"Of course not! You're already like ten times better," he smiled, kissing her cheek.

…

"So, Jeff really is quite a catch, isn't he?" Shelby asked. They were both sat on the beach, Beth in Quinn's lap. Jeff had just gone to the bathroom. "He's handsome, anyone can see that he thinks the world of you, he's good with Beth…You better hold onto this one," she smiled.

"I plan to," Quinn laughed, bobbing Beth up and down gently on her lap. "Thank you. For coming up here, I mean," she looked at Shelby, grinning.

"Not at all! It's nice to get away from Ohio," she nodded.

"Oh, I know what you mean! I was telling Ash earlier – we're staying with her," she explained. "And are you having fun too?" Quinn asked Beth, who laughed and waved her hands in the air.

"I think we can take that as a yes," Shelby laughed. Jeff came back and Beth pointed at him, a confused look on her face. "That's Jeff," Shelby explained. Beth pointed at Quinn and looked at Shelby again. "And that's Quinn," she smiled.

Beth looked up at Quinn. "Kinn!" she giggled.

"W-what was that, Beth?" Quinn asked, astounded.

"Kinn!" she beamed, pointing at Quinn. "Kinn!" she looked at Jeff, who nodded.

"That's right, that's Quinn!" he grinned. "Is that her first word?" he asked Shelby.

"Yep," she smiled, as Beth told everyone who passed who Quinn (or in Beth's case, Kinn) was.

Quinn was close to tears. Jeff walked up to stand behind her and bent down to hug her, kissing her cheek. "You okay, baby?" he asked her, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.

She looked up at him, tears falling down her cheeks. "I was her first word!" She could barely get the words out, but Jeff understood her. He smiled softly, stroking her hair.

She looked over at Shelby, who was smiling at all three of them. "Well, it just means that you'll have to visit more often, then, won't it?" Shelby raised her eyebrows.

"Of course," Quinn beamed. "But only if Jeff comes too," she laughed as Beth tried to get out of Quinn's arms and into his.

"And why wouldn't I want to come and visit the world's most awesome little one-year-old?" Jeff smiled as Quinn passed Beth to him. He tickled her under the chin and she giggled before taking her sunhat off and putting it on his head. "I think that looks better on you, Beth," he laughed before putting it back on her.

Shelby leant in closer to Quinn. "Like I said – keep hold of this one," she said quietly.

…

Back at the house, everyone was in the garden while Jeff and Quinn were left to do the dishes. It was the first time they'd been alone together since they saw Beth. Jeff had just been drying a bowl, and he waved it in the air asking, "Where does this go, _Kinn_?" with a small smile on his face.

"Shut up," she laughed. He mocked offence before she hugged him tightly. "Thank you _so much_ for today," she tiptoed up to kiss him.

"Don't mention it," he smiled back, kissing her forehead. He slinked her hand into his, interlocking their fingers and stroking the hair out of her face with his free hand when The Only Exception by Paramore came on the radio. He pulled her closer before asking, "May I please have this dance?"

Quinn giggled. "You may," she smiled back, resting her hands on his neck as his settled on her hip and swaying with him in time to the music.

…

The others were all in the garden – some by the fire pit, some in the pool, some just sitting by the pool.

"Hey, Jeff and Quinn haven't come out yet," Jodie noted.

"Probably finishing what they started last night," James smirked from the lilo he was stretched out on in the water.

"I got this," John waved, and he tipped James over.

"You _jerk_! You'll pay for that!" James yelled as he rubbed the water out of his eyes. John dove under the water and James followed him.

"We should get someone to make sure they're alright, though," Jodie suggested.

"No, you just want to know what they're up to!" Ash laughed. "Hey, Ni – Oh, maybe not Nick. He's a little busy himself," she smirked, pointing to where Nick and Rachel were, and to be honest it was difficult to tell where one of them ended and the other began, they were that entwined.

"I'll go," Artie offered, remembering his promise to Jeff if he ever hurt Quinn, and he knew how she had felt the last time that something had gotten out of hand like that.

He wheeled himself into the house, timidly calling, "Jeff? Quinn?" because he didn't want to kill the mood or whatever. He rolled to the kitchen where the door was only slightly open, and he peered in to see them both dancing together. He couldn't help but break out into a grin at how happy those two looked together; how well they fitted. Quinn and Artie's friendship was never really shown because of social statuses, but he knew that she'd been waiting for so long for someone who she'll be happy with, and that's all he wanted for her as her friend. And he could see now that she really did have it.

He went back to the garden, still smiling. "So how scarred for life are you, on a scale of 1-10?" Thad asked, smirking.

"Zero," he shrugged. "They're slow-dancing in the kitchen," he explained.

"That's so cute!" Ash exclaimed, before putting her hand over her mouth. "Sorry," she giggled.

"Don't be," Artie smiled. "It really was. Besides, weren't we all gonna play Truth or Dare or something? So I'll leave it to you to break it up between them," he smirked.

"Oh, but what if I don't want to?" she frowned.

"We could just play, all of us…It's up to you," Artie shrugged.

…

A/N: DUN DUN DUUUUUUN. Weren't expecting this, were you? Anyway, I want you guys to decide. Should Quinn and Jeff play Truth or Dare with everyone so that it's still a Quiff story throughout or do you want to know more about the other characters? Let me knoooow ^_^

(Also in case you hadn't noticed, James is based on Rocky, Jodie on Rydel, John on Ross and Jerry on Ryland, haha.)


	16. Truth or Dare

A/N: OH MY GOD, KAYLEIGH, TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE WEEK? Yes, I've had a good past few days so I've been writing a lot more. Yay! ^_^ (Also, can you tell that Artie is my favourite member of New Directions? Haha :D You will by the end of the chapter :'))

I love reviews like Draco Malfoy loves the potty :3

Enjoy!

…

"We could just play, all of us…It's up to you," Artie shrugged.

"Hold on," Ash pulled her phone out and began to type;

**To: Jeff  
>We're playing Truth or Dare. Come play if you want.<strong>

"There," she showed Artie the message, and he nodded. "Now let's play!" she grinned. "I'll go first aaaand…I pick Truth."

Thad sucked the air in through his teeth. "You don't want to do that…" he said in a singsong voice, raising his eyebrows.

"I wouldn't want to do a dare, either, but at least with truths it could all be hypothetical," Ash retorted.

"Crap on a stick, you're awesome," Thad smiled dreamily at Ash, making her blush and giggle.

John licked his lips, nodding. "Okay, I got one. You can kiss one person in this group," he gestured to show he meant everyone in the backyard. "Who is it, and why?" he raised his eyebrows.

Ash played with her hair, opening her mouth to answer several times before visibly changing her mind and stopping herself. "I guess…Sam," she blushed.

Everyone either "Aww!"-ed or jeered or whistled. Sam shuffled over to her and kissed her on the cheek. "I'd have chosen you too, by the way," he whispered, making her flush deeper, giggling uncontrollably. He sat next to her and put an arm around her.

"Wait, you didn't say why," John raised his eyebrows.

"Well, because he's cute," she hid her face as it turned a shade similar to that of a lobster.

"Awww, how sweet," Nick teased. Both Sam and Ash glowered at him, and he laughed.

"Artie, truth or dare?" asked Kurt.

"Dare!" he grinned.

"Put your number on unknown and prank call someone of our choice," Blaine smiled wickedly.

"Blaine Anderson, I didn't know you had this streak!" John raised his eyebrows.

"That's because he saves it for Kurt," John smiled teasingly.

Kurt glared at the brothers while Blaine maintained his usual calm demeanour. "Artie?"

"Fine," Artie reluctantly agreed, handing Blaine his phone. Blaine flicked through his contacts before finding someone under 'Olivia'. "She's my cousin…We get on really well," Artie smiled.

Ash took the phone from Blaine and waved it in front of Artie. "Okay. Then you have to ring her and tell her you're madly in love with her," she smirked.

"Nice," Sam nodded, high-fiving her.

Artie's eyes widened. "I-I can put on an accent or whatever, right?" he asked.

"Since she's your cousin, we'll bend the rules a little," Blaine laughed.

"Awesome," Artie nodded half-heartedly, licking his lips. He let Ash press 'dial' and put it on speakerphone before taking it from her.

"Hello?" came the voice from the other end of the phone.

Artie cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "Hello, Olivia. It's me. I just rang to tell you I'm madly in love with you." Even he was shaking with laughter.

"Er, thanks? Who is this?" the voice came.

"Oh, you don't know me, Olivia. But I know you," Artie bit his bottom lip to calm himself down.

"I'll call the cops on you," Olivia warned.

Artie silently panicked. "Olivia, please…I'm sure we can come to _some_ arrangement…"

"Leave me alone, you creep!" she yelled before hanging up.

Everyone was practically rolling around on the floor, laughing. "You sounded like a creeper!" Mercedes giggled.

"But did I sound like me?" Artie asked fearfully.

"No, you didn't," Kurt reassured.

"Good," he sighed, relieved.

They were interrupted by the door opening, and Quinn and Jeff joined them. "Ah, finally decided to join the rest of us?" David raised his eyebrows at them.

"Shut up," Jeff laughed. He sat down and pulled Quinn onto his lap. She giggled as she put her arms around him. "So, what are we doing?"

"Playing Truth or Dare," Tina smiled.

"Yeah, and it's too bad you sat next to Artie, 'cause it means it's your turn," Jerry smirked.

"Quinn, truth or dare?" Santana asked.

"Ooh, dare!" she said, her eyes glinting.

All of the Warblers relished possibilities for a while, making Jeff feel uneven. "Okay," Nick slowly grinned, "you have to kiss someone in this group for at least 15 seconds."

"Oh, sweet!" Jeff beamed.

"I didn't finish," Nick raised an eyebrow. "The person in question must be another girl."

Jeff's jaw dropped. Quinn noticed this and shut it for him, laughing, "You'll catch flies like that, sweetie." She kissed him on the nose before walking over to Brittany and pressing her lips to her best friend's lightly. She counted out fifteen seconds on her hand before breaking off. "There," she raised an eyebrow at Nick. "Happy?"

"It was satisfactory," he retaliated.

"Well, that's all you're getting," she shrugged before climbing back into Jeff's lap.

"I pick Dare," Jeff said hurriedly before Nick could respond.

"I think it's only fair that boyfriends and girlfriends get the same treatment, right?" Thad smirked. "You have to kiss a guy."

Jeff shrugged. "It's no different from Spin the Bottle the other day, right?" He looked around. "Where's Blaine?"

"Bathroom," Kurt replied. "But I do believe you kissed someone else," he looked sideways to Sam.

"Aw, but I don't want Ash to get jealous or anything," Jeff teased. He laughed as Ash made an obscene gesture as he walked over to them both (once Quinn had gotten off of him). "Ash, may I please kiss Sam for strict platonic reasons?" he asked with a smirk.

"Do whatever the hell you want!" she shrugged.

Jeff leant in and kissed Sam. His lips felt weirdly soft and light and…Well, and _big_. Both had forgotten to start counting at the beginning, and everyone realised, so they just let the two guys continue kissing until they thought they were done.

"26 seconds you guys kissed for then," Quinn smirked as Jeff returned to his seat at last. "I was about to tell you two to get a room."

"Shut up," he grinned as he sat next to her. "Besides, it wasn't _his_ lips I was thinking about," he purred, kissing up her jawline lightly.

"And whose lips were you thinking about?" Quinn joked.

"The same person I constantly think about," he said, still in the same purring tone. "The most beautiful person in the world. I don't know if you know her? Her name's Lucy Fabray."

"I don't know a Lucy," she replied quietly, leaning back into his chest.

"Well, I do. You wanna see her? I warn you, she's pretty gorgeous, so try not to get jealous," he winked as he pulled out his wallet. Inside was the picture Quinn had given him of her pre-surgery. Quinn's insides soared. "See? And you know the best part?" He pressed her lips just above her ear. "I get to call this amazing woman my girlfriend," he murmured, kissing back down her jawline, turning her head by placing a finger on her chin and moving it and kissing her lips lightly.

Quinn turned herself to clutch at Jeff's shirt. "My boyfriend's pretty amazing himself. He never thinks of himself first, and he may not be the most confident of guys, but he's the sweetest, smartest, cutest guy I've ever met. He's a total gentleman who treats me like royalty and makes me feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have him. So yeah, my boyfriend's got your girlfriend pretty beat," she looked up at him.

"Well, my girlfriend helped to arrange an entire spring break with my best friend who I haven't seen in years without me even saying anything about it, so I think mine wins," he grinned.

"Oh yeah? Even though this entire holiday was for my boyfriend, he still thought of me and invited my daughter and her new mom to come up too so I could see her. So mine does," she kissed his cheek.

"Shall we meet in the middle and just say that both of us are happy to have their partners?" he laughed.

"Sure," she beamed.

"Hey, Jeff!" Wes called. "Nick just said Truth. We'll leave this up to you," Wes laughed.

"Hmm…" Jeff pondered, stroking his chin jokingly.

"Do they have to answer honestly?" Quinn asked.

"100% truthfully," Jerry nodded.

"Okay. Since you enjoy homoeroticism so much, how far have _you_ ever gone with a guy, Nick?" Quinn raised her eyebrows.

"Nice!" Jeff whispered into her ear, high-fiving her.

"I-I don't have –" Nick stuttered.

"Yeah you do. It's the rules, Three," Jeff shook his head.

Nick sighed, then looked at Rachel before back into the middle of the group. "I used to date a guy for a while. We made out and that was it," he flushed.

"So you're bisexual?" Jodie asked.

Nick nodded. "Do you mind?" he asked Rachel quietly, who leaned up to kiss him.

"I have two dads, Nick. Of course I don't mind," she smiled up at him.

"Awesome," he beamed.

"Rachel?" Blaine asked, having returned to the group as Nick answered.

…

"Hey man, are you alright?" Jeff asked Artie. They were all going to some ice cream parlor, and Artie seemed a lot more upset than he was whilst they were playing.

He sighed. "I guess. See Brittany over there?" Artie pointed. Jeff nodded. "She's supposed to be my girlfriend," he sighed.

Jeff's eyes widened. "Oh! I thought that…Since her and Santana were so close, I –"

"Oh, they are," Artie answered the tall blonde's look sadly. "I thought that we were still happy together, though, but when I saw you and Quinn…" he sighed. "You guys have something way better than that. I mean, look at me. Both girlfriends cheating on me? Speaks volumes."

Jeff patted Artie's arm comfortingly. "I'm sorry, man. If it's any consolation, Quinn's only my second girlfriend ever, and the first only used me to get to Nick," he shrugged, pushing Artie along, who nodded in thanks.

"Sorry to hear that, bro. You're lucky to have Quinn," he smiled up at Jeff.

"Tell me about it," he laughed. "You'll find someone like that too," he smiled.

"I doubt it," he shrugged.

"Look, I'm gonna make you a deal, okay?" Jeff asked. "By the last bell on Friday the week we get back, you'll have a date. Deal?" he asked.

"You'd do that for me?" he asked. "Wait…But what am I going to say to Brittany, I –"

"Leave that to me," Jeff tapped his own nose. He trotted over to Brittany and Santana and led Brittany away. "Hey, Brittany…" he started. "Look, Artie, he…He knows. About you and Santana. And he wants you to be happy, so he's gonna let you be with her."

Brittany looked at Jeff for a few moments before bouncing over to Artie and kissing his cheek. "Thanks, Artie. You're the best!" she beamed as she skipped to Santana to tell her.

Artie watched on, upset, before Jeff caught up with him again. "Trust me, I'm gonna get you a date by next Friday," he murmured as he pushed Artie again.

"Thanks, Jeff. I appreciate it," Artie smiled.

"Well, we're sorta friends, right?" Jeff asked. "Well, I'm your friend's boyfriend, but still…" he trailed off.

"Hey, we're friends outside of your relationship with Quinn! Aren't we?" Artie asked.

"Totally," he and Artie fistbumped.

…

At the parlor, Jeff and Nick joined Quinn and Rachel at their table with the ice creams. Jeff waved Artie over to join them too. "You guys don't mind, do you?" he asked the others, who shook their heads.

"Since when were you and Artie close?" Quinn asked Jeff quietly.

"A while," he shrugged.

"Well, I'm glad," she smiled.

Her phone rang and she took it out. There was one word on the screen – **Finn**. "Answer it," Jeff smiled.

She got up and walked outside. "What do you want, Finn?" she asked as she held the phone to her ear.

"Q-Quinn, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Finn sobbed down the other end of the phone.

"Wait, why are you sorry?" she asked.

"E-E-Elena, sh-she cheated on me with some _guy_, and when I confronted her about it, she made out like I don't even exist, and…Ijustreallythoughtshelikedme!" he garbled.

"Finn…Finn, calm down," Quinn replied. "Just…" she sighed. "Now you know how it feels, huh? Someone you really care about cheating on you?"

"I know, that's why I rang, t-to say how sorry I am for doing that to you, I really shouldn't have!" he wailed.

Quinn paused for a while. "I know you shouldn't have. But that doesn't change the fact that you did. Besides, you cheated on Rachel too, remember."

"I know! I was so stupid. I still love her, Quinn," he sniffed. "D-does she ever talk about me?"

"Well, she's so wrapped up in Nick, she barely has time to," she replied honestly.

"Oh. So there's another guy now. Awesome," Finn said shakily. "Quinn, I'm gonna go."

"Where are you going?" Quinn asked, concerned.

"Why do you care?"

"Because you're upset and I don't want you doing something stupid as a result of that!" Quinn exclaimed.

"C-Can I speak to Rachel, please?" Finn asked her.

"I don't think so, I'm sorry," Quinn apologised. "But promise me that you'll be at school on Monday. Do it for me and for Rachel."

Finn sighed. "Fine. See you, Quinn."

"Bye," she hung up and returned inside.

"Everything okay?" Jeff asked as she sat down, putting an arm around her.

"Yeah. Finn got cheated on by Elena and now he feels really bad," Quinn looked at her lap.

"Is he okay?" Rachel asked, worry visible on her face.

"He should be. I told him we'd talk to him at school on Monday so he'd better be there, and he's promised me he will be," she smiled, reaching out to take Rachel's hand.

"Are you okay, Jeff?" Rachel suddenly asked, as she saw his face contort in self-pity.

"Huh?" he asked, still half-distracted. "Oh…Yeah, I'm fine. Just that I know what he feels like. Elena's like…She's like one of those sirens in mythology. Y'know, the pretty girls who lure you into their trap so that they can hurt you." He sighed. "But that's in the past now, right? I've got someone way better now," he kissed Quinn's head.

"You didn't deserve that," Quinn leaned into his kiss. "Neither does Finn, not really."

"Jeff, are we going to have to reopen the Three-Six Dating Service?" Nick asked with a smirk.

"Well, it already technically is," Jeff looked to Artie with a small smile. "First customer."

"Wait, you guys have a dating service?" Quinn and Rachel laughed.

"Sorta," Jeff shrugged.

"If a Dalton boy liked someone, they'd ask us to go and break the ice with our charming personalities and sheer humour," Nick raised his eyebrows.

"Not to mention your modesty," Rachel deadpanned, but she laughed when Nick pouted. "I'm sorry, Nick," she kissed his cheek.

"Friday." Jeff assured Artie as he looked on at Rachel and Nick in jealousy.


	17. Pure Fluff

A/N: Aw yeah, more frequent posting! :D The amount of fluff in this is immense, I want some more drama soon but Idk what just yet. Prompts are more than welcome! :) Either here or on Tumblr (kayleighweasley . tumblr . com / ask [remove the spaces xD])

I love reviews like Blaine loves neckwear :D

Enjoy!

…

Quinn saw John creep out of the bathroom with a pile of clothes tucked under his arm. "…John, what are you doing?" she asked hesitantly.

John pressed a finger to her lips and pulled her into the next room by her hand. "Stealing Jeff's clothes," he replied when they were safely out of earshot.

"Why?" she asked, shaking her head.

"Because he put my hand in warm water and…Well…" John blushed furiously.

Quinn laughed. "Oh my God, you didn't –"

"Yes! I did! Now shut up about it," John glared.

"Wait, but Jeff was sleeping next to me all night, he would have woken me up if he did something like that!" Quinn realised before giggling again. "You just took his clothes for no reason!"

"Crap!" his eyes widened and he giggled.

They heard the water shut off and then a yell of "Okay, whoever took my clothes is gonna get it!"

"I better go apologise, hadn't I?" John asked, and Quinn nodded. He walked out of the room and greeted Jeff in the hallway. "Hey, Jeff, let me explain –"

"John Shaun Sterling, I'm gonna kill you!" Quinn heard, followed by two lots of running footsteps.

"It wasn't – I'm sorry! I thought you'd done something but you hadn't, it was a mistake!" John yelled as he and Jeff ran throughout the house.

Eventually Quinn stopped laughing enough to go and stop them, only to be beaten by Ash. "GUYS! Jeff, _please_ get changed, I don't want you running around my house naked! I don't care if you're wearing a towel, it still might slip off and I don't want to be scarred for life, thanks," she raised her eyebrows as Jeff pointed to the towel wrapped around his waist. "John, if you must know, it was James who did that to you. Go steal something of his," she waved him off, before adding as he walked away, "but I don't want any more indecent exposure!" She rolled her eyes as she walked over to Quinn. "Boys!"

"Come on, like you would be complaining this much if it were _Sam_," Quinn teased, making Ash blush.

"Yeah, but I didn't grow up with Sam, I grew up with these guys!" She sighed. "If you can seriously keep that one," she pointed to Jeff, who was talking to Jodie, "under control, I salute you," she laughed. "Hey, Jodie!" she yelled. "Come help me with the dogs, please."

"Sure!" Jodie jumped up, and Ash winked at Quinn, who rolled her eyes back playfully in return.

Quinn walked over to Jeff and got to see him topless close up for the first time. He had the beginnings of a six-pack forming, his arms were well-toned, and his tousled, fluffy-looking hair fell into his eyes. "You'll catch flies like that," he teased, repeating the words she'd said to him yesterday.

"S-sorry," she grinned, flustered. "Just…I didn't know you were _this_…I can't even describe you," she laughed, tracing a line down his chest with her finger, following a drop of water that was dripping down.

"I'm not all that," Jeff shrugged. "I'm certainly no quarterback," he looked down at his feet, wiggling his toes. "I was under a strict routine when I played hockey, and I still follow it a little, I guess."

"Well, you're perfect," she kissed his nose, and he scrunched it, making her giggle.

"I can't be, because I'm not you!" he tapped her nose playfully in return.

Quinn beamed. "Hey, we're all staying in today. You wanna go in the pool?"

Jeff scratched his head. "Now, that's a tough one. Do I just want to sit inside on a hot day like today, or do I want to be outside, in the pool where my insanely hot girlfriend will also be, wearing something that's gonna make her look _impossibly_ hot?" He grinned, sticking his tongue out through his teeth. "I'll meet you out there in ten," he winked, kissing her head before picking up his trunks and heading towards the bathroom again.

…

Jeff was already in the pool when Quinn came out. She was wearing a purple bikini top and shorts. She sat at the edge of the pool, dangling her legs in the water. Jeff came up for air when he saw Quinn. He licked his lips and swam over to her, standing on the ledge on the side of the pool. "Well, look at that?" he purred. "I was right, you _do_ look impossibly hot like that." he pushed himself up to kiss her before falling back into the water again.

"Stop it, you," she blushed.

"Or what?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Or I'll have to splash you," she grinned wickedly, kicking water over his head.

He gasped in mock horror. "Well then, I'll have to do _this_!" He put his arms around her waist and pulled her into the water. She wrapped her legs around his middle and her arms around his neck.

"Jeff Leonard Sterling, I did not say you could do that!" she giggled.

"Well, I did. So there," Jeff poked his tongue out at her. He adjusted his arms to hold her more comfortably in the water. "You alright?" he asked.

"I'm more than alright," she grinned back.

Jeff beamed back. "Awesome." He sighed happily. "I love you so much, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do," she kissed his brow. "And I _really_ love you, too."

"Sweet," he moved one hand to rest in her still-dry hair and pulled her down gently to kiss her slowly and sweetly. "You're amazing, you know that?" he breathed, his lips barely against hers.

"I must be to get someone like you," she smiled.

"You mean the girl with the most awesome hair and the most gorgeous eyes and the most _amazing _body in the world thinks that she's barely worthy of me? I think you have that confused," he raised his eyebrows.

Quinn bit her lip, blushing. "I don't, but I hate arguing with you, so," she kissed him again, "I'll just have to keep you quiet," she smirked.

He smirked back, lifting her back onto the side and resting his hands on her hips, rubbing his thumbs up and down. "That works," he grinned, leaning up to kiss her.

…

That night, Ash and Sam were under strict instruction. Ash was to take Quinn out for the day, and then she and Sam were to take her to the beach so that she'd be there at _precisely_ 6:30pm. Quinn was wearing a black dress that stopped just above her knees and black heels. "Guys, why have you got me dressing fancy for if we're just going to the beach?" she asked them.

"Jeff said," Sam replied simply.

"But why are we going to the beach?" she asked again.

"_We're_ not going to be staying at the beach. _You_ are," Ash corrected her.

Eventually they got to a part of the beach so hidden that Quinn wondered how many people even knew it existed. As it came into view, Quinn's jaw dropped. There were candles everywhere, and petals leading up to where Jeff was sat on the sand. When he noticed Quinn, Sam nudged her. "This is where we leave you lovebirds to it," he smirked.

"Have fun!" Ash hugged Quinn quickly as Jeff walked over. Ash waggled her fingers at him and he waved back, not really noticing her. He couldn't take his eyes off of Quinn.

"Hey there, pretty lady," he grinned, twirling her. "You look absolutely stunning tonight."

"As do you," she smiled, which was more than true – he was leaving her breathless! He was wearing a white shirt with the first three buttons undone, black trousers and black dress shoes. She finally took her eyes off him to look around. "This is…I can't believe you did this…For _me_, I –" She kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you too," he smiled back. "I wouldn't do this if I didn't, now, would I?" he chuckled, tucking her hair behind one ear.

"I don't care how much you disagree with me now, this is more than enough proof that you're the world's greatest boyfriend," she smiled up at him.

He shrugged. "Gotta keep standards up if I'm dating the most beautiful girl in the world!"

She looked down and bit her lip. "You're such a dork, you know that?" she chuckled lightly before looking back up at him again. "But you're my dork," she grinned.

"Damn straight," he beamed, making Quinn laugh. "Now come on, dinner's getting cold!" He took her hand and led her over to the table, jogging to pull her chair out for her. She sat, smiling, and he tucked her chair in before sitting down himself.

Quinn looked down at the meal and covered her mouth so she wouldn't laugh. "Pizza?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "_That's_ your idea of a romantic meal?"

"Well, by the time I'd gotten everything sorted here, I didn't have much time, and –"

Quinn interrupted him with a kiss. "It's still perfect. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed. This is honestly the sweetest thing, I – I don't know how I could thank you enough for doing this for me, and –" she babbled. Jeff chuckled kindly.

"It's okay," he smiled, taking her hand. "Your mere existence more than makes up for it," he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, propping his head up with the other as he looked at her dreamily.

Quinn blushed. "Come on, food's getting cold, remember?" she teased, squeezing his hand before taking a slice from her plate.

…

They'd been sat on the sand for hours now – they had watched the sun set, play-fought a hell of a lot, and kissed even more. Now Jeff was laying in the sand, with Quinn resting her head on his chest, just where his heart was. "You have a pretty heartbeat," she mused.

"I didn't know heartbeats could be pretty," he smirked back, his hands running through her hair.

"Shut up, you know what I mean," Quinn shoved him playfully. "The sky's so beautiful tonight," she said as she looked up.

"I know, right? Second most beautiful view here," he kissed her head, moving his hand down her body to interlock their fingers.

"Oh, really? What's the first?" Quinn asked jokingly.

"Your face," Jeff beamed goofily.

"You're so silly," Quinn giggled. She snuggled into him and closed her eyes. "I love you," she smiled sleepily.

"And I love you," he squeezed her hand. "But if you're tired, we should head back."

He stood up and helped Quinn up. She almost lost her footing and buckled, but he caught her before she fell. He held her in his arms for a while. "Thanks," she giggled.

"No problem," he purred back, leaning down to kiss her.

They started walking back to the house; the jacket that Jeff had brought but not worn was now draped over Quinn's shoulders. They were walking hand-in-hand. "Thank you for tonight," Quinn leant against his arm. "Seriously. I – I still can't believe that you did that just for me," she shook her head.

"Well, believe it, 'cause I did," he grinned.

"Yo, hot girl!" a voice called from the other side of the street.

"Ignore them," Jeff whispered, wrapping an arm around her protectively.

"Don't make me call you again; you know I'm talking to you!" A hooded figure walked up to the pair. "Now why don't you leave your brother and come with me, baby?" he smirked. Quinn shuddered.

"I'm not her _brother_, I'm her boyfriend, thanks," Jeff glared.

"Seriously?" the other guy, must have been about early-20s, asked, eyes wide. Jeff nodded. "Well, congrats on bagging yourself a whore," the man patted Jeff on the back.

Jeff turned round and hit the guy square in the face. "How _dare_ you speak about my girlfriend like that!" he yelled. "She's not one of those at all! She's the nicest, prettiest, least…_that_-ish girl that I know! Y'know, not all girls out there that dress nice and are out at night are yours for the picking, you sick jerk-ass! She's only 17!" He kicked the man who was cowering on the ground. "Now apologise to my girlfriend!"

"Whatever, I'm sorry," the man mumbled, picking himself up off the ground and limping away.

Quinn hugged Jeff tightly. "It's official. You're not real. You're far too perfect to be real," she grinned as tears rolled down her cheeks.

He bent down to wipe the tears away and look into her eyes. "Baby, don't cry."

She laughed shakily. "I only like it when _you_ call me baby," she smiled, stroking his cheek. "I love you," she held him tightly.

He squeezed her back just as tight. "I love you too," he kissed her cheek.

…

"You guys!" Ash ran over and hugged them both. "You're later than you said. What happened?" she asked, and Jeff explained. Ash hugged Quinn again, asking "Are you okay now?"

"Yeah," Quinn nodded. "Yeah, Jeff beat the guy up and got him to apologise to me."

Sam patted Jeff on the back. "Nice one, bro," he commented.

"Thanks," Jeff smiled.

Ash, however, slapped him on the arm. "You idiot! What if he'd hit you back?"

"I'd rather that than he keep saying those things about Quinn," he wrapped his arms around her protectively.

"True," Ash shrugged. "Well, I'm glad you're both safe and okay and all that junk, but I'm off to bed," she yawned.

"You heard her, Sam, bed," Jeff teased.

"Shut up," Sam laughed, rubbing his hair sleepily. "Night, you two! Don't go beating up any more people in the night," he laughed.

"But that's how I learnt at ninja school!" Jeff said, and both he and Sam laughed.

"You guys are such dorks," Quinn laughed, going over to the bed and picking up a pair of pajamas.

"But you love us," Sam called as he went into the bathroom.

"In different ways!" she called back. Jeff raised an eyebrow. "I love Sam like a brother," she explained. "I love _you_ like the most amazing being on the planet," she smiled.

He grinned back. "That feeling's more than mutual." He kissed her brow.


	18. Starting McKinley

A/N: HELLO! :D I'm very very excited because I got accepted into uni recently so I decided to finish this chapter which is why everyone is happy and making up and stuff :D

Also to the person who reviewed and was like 'But what about the song he was writing? D:' You read my mind ;D

Enjoy!

…

The next two weeks went by as quickly as they had come. Soon it was the Sunday morning that they were leaving. Everyone had left Jeff to say goodbye to Ash alone, as they had done with her and Sam. Ash was still slightly upset from saying the first goodbye, so Jeff just held her for a while. "You're totally coming to Ohio in the summer. It's compulsory," he grinned.

Ash laughed as she hugged her best friend back. "I'm gonna miss you so much," she squeezed him.

"Hey, at least we got to see each other! I was surprised you'd even remember who I was," he laughed.

"Nobody forgets their first best friend, do they?" she asked. "God, listen to me, I sound sappy as hell now! You did this to me, jerk," she smirked as she hit him in the stomach playfully.

Jeff laughed. "Thank you. For everything. This has been the best holiday _ever_," he beamed.

"Well, I would have just been stuck here alone otherwise," she shrugged. "Anyway, surely I should be thanking _you_?" She nodded over to where Sam was getting back on the bus. "I seem to only get on with dorky blonde guys," she laughed.

"Hey!" Jeff tapped her playfully on the nose before pulling her in for another hug. "Don't think that now you've seen me, you can worm off for another seven years," he laughed.

"Damnit, I knew I shouldn't have given you my number and email and all that junk! Now you'll _have_ to stay in contact with me," Ash joked. "See you in the summer?"

"Definitely," Jeff grinned. He kissed the top of her head and walked backwards, waving like mad.

He got into the bus and sighed as the door closed behind him. "You alright?" Artie asked.

Jeff nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, she's coming to Ohio in the summer, so it's not like I'll never see her again after this, is it?" He ran to the window, waving as Nick's dad drove them out of her driveway. Once the house was out of sight, Jeff sat next to Sam. "So what's the deal with you and Ash now?"

Sam shrugged. "What happens in Virginia stays in Virginia, right?" He still looked slightly upset.

"Er, I think that's Vegas, dude," Jeff rested a comforting hand on the other blonde's shoulder. "Either way, it seemed like you two really liked each other. Don't throw that away."

"Well, what if she wants us to just be friends?" Sam asked him.

Jeff rolled his eyes and took Sam's phone from his hand. "Just wait," he said simply as Sam opened his mouth to complain. Jeff typed:

**To: Ash  
>Just to clarify – where are we exactly?<strong>

**Fr: Ash  
>Jeff, I know that's you on Sam's phone, because his dyslexia + autocorrect means every text I get from him is some kind of riddle :') Either way, I dunno…Where does he think we are?<strong>

**To: Ash  
>He doesn't know because he doesn't want to say one thing and you think the other.<strong>

**Fr: Ash  
>Well, if it weren't for the whole distance thing, then sure, I'd date him.<strong>

Jeff showed Sam the last text, and his face immediately brightened. Sam took the phone back and typed:

**To: Ash  
>Awsome! Id total daytime you too :D<strong>

"My work here is done," Jeff laughed, standing up and leaving Sam, who was muttering, "Dang it, I meant _totally date_, not total daytime!"

He walked over to Quinn and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. "Guess who," he murmured into her ear.

"Artie! Since when could you walk?" she teased. "Of course I know it's you, Jeff," she laughed, turning her head to kiss him. "What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing," he smiled weakly.

"Liar," she shoved him playfully. "Come on, what is it?"

"It's just that…Before I met you, and all of these guys," he gestured around the bus, "Ash was the only friend I had. When we went to different junior high schools, it was tough. Then I went to Dalton and made friends with the Warblers and I guess I kinda forgot how much fun I'd have with Ash," he shrugged. "Now that I know that again, it sucks having to leave it all again." He chuckled, "To put it in her words, nobody forgets their first best friend."

"That sounds way too corny for Ash," Quinn laughed.

"Yeah. She blamed me for making her go soft and hit me," Jeff laughed back.

"Now _that_ sounds like her," Quinn giggled. "Hey," she soothed, moving the hair out of his eyes and smiling at him, "you'll see her again."

"It's not just her. It's the Warblers. They've been my brothers for three years now, almost. And from tomorrow, I'm gonna be a McKinley High student. I won't be a Warbler anymore."

"Now that isn't true," Blaine called from the corner where he and Kurt were sitting. Both Quinn and Jeff jumped in surprise – they didn't notice the other couple at first. "Once a Warbler, always a Warbler," he smiled, and Jeff smiled back.

"See? They're losing you too, remember. And besides, Thad was saying about some kind of Warbler-and-Ash gathering over the summer? So you'll still get to see them," Quinn hugged Jeff tightly.

Jeff nodded, hugging her back. "But only if it's a Warbler-and-Ash-and-Quinn thing," he kissed the top of her head.

"Make that '-and-Sam' too," Quinn smirked. "I don't think we'd live it down if we got back to McKinley after the summer and he found out we'd seen Ash and he hadn't."

Jeff laughed. "Very true."

…

21st March 2011. Monday. Jeff Sterling's first day in a public school. After spending an hour and a half deciding what to wear, he hurriedly made himself breakfast. "Er, not to rush you any more, but shouldn't you be picking your girlfriend up?" Jerry asked.

Jeff shook his head. "She drives Mercedes to school every day. And besides, I have to go see their principal and get everything sorted before I start classes and stuff. That's why I can't afford to be…Late! Oh God, I'm late!" he yelled as he looked at the wall clock. He drank the bowl of cereal he'd just made, grabbed his bag and ran out the door, slamming it shut behind him.

Jerry rolled his eyes and walked into the lounge, where John was coming down the stairs. "So when did it stop being funny that I set the clock half an hour fast?" John asked.

…

Jeff ran down the halls – why were they so empty? – and stopped himself just outside the principal's office. "Ah! Mr Sterling, you're early," an Indian man said as he approached Jeff. "My name is Principal Figgins, and I hope that this is the only time I have to see you!" he chuckled.

"Wait, but I thought –" Jeff looked at the clock, which read the same time as the kitchen clock had when Jeff left it. He shook his head, making a mental note to kill John when he got home. "Never mind," he smiled at his new principal.

…

Once Jeff had received his timetable, been talked through rules and safety procedures, and assigned a locker, he was free to find his way around the school. He'd found his locker, and was putting books that he didn't need into them. "H-Hey, man," a voice came from behind Jeff's locker door. He moved it to see Finn next to him, getting books out of his own locker.

"Hey. I'm sorry to hear about Elena," he put his hand on Finn's shoulder comfortingly.

Finn smiled at the blonde. "It's cool. It's not like you made her cheat on me." Finn froze. "You _didn't_ make her cheat on me, right?"

"Oh God, no! No, I'm not like that," Jeff shook his head. "Besides, like Elena would listen to a word I said, right?"

Finn let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, she's kind of a bitch like that, isn't she?"

"Don't tell me I've gotta set _you_ up with someone so you'll be happy, too, I'm already doing that with Artie!" he laughed.

Finn smiled, "No offence, dude, but I'm quarterback. I can get girls by myself. Hey," he nudged Jeff softly in the shoulder as the blonde looked down, "thanks for the thought though, man."

Jeff looked up again, his trademark grin back on his face. "No problem."

"So, you thinking of joining Glee club then? 'Cause we need all the help we can get," Finn smirked as he closed his locker.

Jeff chuckled. "Yeah, I was thinking about it. Do I have to, like, audition or do you just turn up like 'Hey, I wanna be in this!' and then they say 'Okay!'?" he joked, falling into step with Finn as they walked to class.

Finn laughed. "Nope. Sadly, you're gonna have to audition to be a part of Glee. I wouldn't worry though, Mr Schue puts pretty much everyone in," he shrugged.

"Alright, where and when should I go?" Jeff asked.

"After your last lesson, go to that room," Finn pointed to the choir room as they passed it, smiling at Jeff.

"Okay, thanks," Jeff grinned back.

…

Quinn was fairly upset when she walked through the choir room door at half past 3. Jeff hadn't been in any of her classes, and she had been surrounded by people at lunch who kept telling her that her hair was pink. She got more and more infuriated by this, to the point where eventually she would reply sarcastically, "Oh my God, it is? How the hell did that happen?"

She began to text Jeff to ask him to meet her after practice when she heard a, "Mr Schuester? I'm here to audition, like I asked in Spanish." She lifted her head and broke out into a grin when she saw Jeff standing there.

"Sure thing, Jeff," Mr Schuester nodded before turning to address the entire club. "Guys, this is Jeff. He's an ex-Warbler and now that he's transferred to McKinley, he wants to join us, so…Whenever you're ready, Jeff. Remind me what song you're auditioning with?"

"Oh, it's one I wrote myself," Jeff grinned. "I've had the melody for _ages_, but I couldn't find the right lyrics until recently," he smiled sheepishly.

"Well, the floor is yours," Mr Schuester gestured to the empty space.

Jeff took an acoustic guitar and sat on the piano. "Oh, dude, could you accompany me?" he asked Brad the piano man, who nodded. He rootled through his bag and handed Brad a load of sheet music. "If you can read that, could you play it?" he laughed. Brad still stayed silent. "Man, you don't speak, do you?" Again, silence. Jeff shrugged and crossed his legs, resting the guitar on them. He signalled Brad, and started to play. He sang:

_You knock me off of my feet__  
><em>_Can hardly breathe__  
><em>_When you're around me I feel the heat__  
><em>_You steam up the mirrors__  
><em>_And make me shift gears__  
><em>_Sometimes I can't think all that clear___

_I'm losing sleep__  
><em>_I'm counting sheep like__  
><em>_1,2,3, let's go___

_You hypnotize me__  
><em>_You mesmerize me__  
><em>_Way-o way-o__  
><em>_Way over my head and I don't know what to do__  
><em>_'Cause I can't get enough of you___

_See girl you're like an equation__  
><em>_And I'm not good at math__  
><em>_You're very confusing__  
><em>_My hearts in a trap__  
><em>_I don't see your signs__  
><em>_Or see through the lines__  
><em>_And I just can't understand your mind___

_I'm losing sleep__  
><em>_I'm counting sheep like__  
><em>_1,2,3, let's go___

_You hypnotize me__  
><em>_You mesmerize me__  
><em>_Way-o way-o__  
><em>_Way over my head and I don't know what to do__  
><em>_'Cause I can't get enough of you___

_You hypnotize me __  
><em>_You mesmerize me__  
><em>_Way-o way-o__  
><em>_Way over my head and I don't know what to do ___

_You hypnotize me __  
><em>_You mesmerize me __  
><em>_Way-o way-o__  
><em>_Way over my head and I don't know what to do__  
><em>_'Cause I can't get enough of you_

He finished playing and looked straight at Quinn, grinning at the way she was blushing. Everyone clapped and cheered Jeff as Mr Schuester walked up to Jeff, who slid off the piano easily. "Jeff," Mr Schuester put out his hand, "welcome to New Directions."

Jeff shook it vigorously with a "Thank you" before sitting next to Quinn, smirking. "So did you like the song?" he murmured into her ear. Quinn couldn't find it in her to even speak coherently, so she just nodded. "Good," he murmured again, "because remember the first day we met? And I told you there might be a good reason to write a song?" Quinn nodded again, biting her lip. "Think about it. The song's called Can't Get Enough Of You. Who's the _one_ person I can't get enough of, Quinn?" He grinned. "Look at that. I answered my own question."

Quinn squealed slightly before wrapping her arms around one of Jeff's. "That was written about _me_?" Jeff nodded. "I – I – It's official. You _can_ get more than perfect," she leant her head against the arm she was hugging.

He turned around and kissed the top of her head when Mr Schue wasn't looking. "Heck yeah, you can. It's called being Lucy Quinn Fabray," he beamed.

"Nuh-uh," she looked up at him. "It's called being _Jeff Leonard Sterling_. Get it right," she rolled her eyes playfully.

Jeff laughed, shaking his head. "No, that's definitely not it," he raised his eyebrows.

"Whatever. It totally is," Quinn smiled, turning to face Mr Schue as he looked at them.


	19. Sleepover

A/N: Hello! I'm not dead! I've just had a lot happen and recently I got my hands burned because my phone battery decided it was gonna melt all over them :( But I've had loads of free time at last so I wrote another chapter! ^_^ There'll be more soon, and they'll be more frequent than they are at the moment, haha.

I don't own Glee, or any of the actors affiliated with this fic.

I do, however, own the plot and the _original_ characters.

Prompts and stuff are always welcome in the reviews or on Tumblr! (I'm kayleighweasley on there :D)

Enjoy!

…

The Sterling house was empty with the exception of Jeff and Quinn, who were in Jeff's room. The lights were dimmed and music played softly in the background as Quinn and Jeff laid on his bed. Jeff was bent over her, kissing her softly. Her hands ran through his hair as she kissed back, and his hands rested on her arms. His tongue ran along her lower lip, and she parted her lips accordingly. He slipped his tongue in and explored her mouth, and she surprised him by sucking on the tip of his tongue. He gasped, and she smirked. "_Quinn_," he sighed happily, his eyes fluttering shut.

"Yes, Jeff?" she raised an eyebrow, smiling cockily.

"Have I ever told you how lucky I am to have you as a girlfriend?" he asked, grinning.

"You may have said something like that once or twice," she teased.

"Well, I'm _extremely_ lucky," he purred as he bent down to kiss her neck.

"_Jeff_," Quinn breathed, her head rolling to the side.

"Yes, Quinn?" he mirrored her, raising an eyebrow and grinning before resuming kissing her neck.

"Oh, you're _so_ getting it," she challenged, sliding up to sit down on the bed, crossing her legs.

"Hey, what was that for?" Jeff pouted.

"For your cheek," Quinn poked her tongue out at him before running a hand through her hair. "Hey, Jeff?"

"Yeah?" he asked, cocking his head slightly.

"What do you think of my hair like this?"

"I think it's hot," he smirked. "Why?"

She blushed at his compliment before shrugging. "I dunno, I guess I'm kinda bored of it now. Should I dye it back blonde?"

"You should do whatever you want to," he smiled, leaning over to kiss her brow.

"Okay, you've won me back," Quinn giggled.

"Sweet," Jeff smirked as he leant in to kiss Quinn again.

…

"No, Jeff, I don't want to be a bother, I –" Quinn started.

"You're not a bother! And Mom'll understand, she knows what's happening with your dad," Jeff smiled softly, wrapping his arms around Quinn's waist. This was true. Since the two families had met, the parents were always on the phone to each other, or round each other's' houses. Sometimes Jeff thought they spent more time together than he and Quinn.

"Look, Jeff, it's sweet of you to suggest it, but –"

"Hey, Mom, can Quinn sleep over?" Jeff asked.

"Of course she can!" Mrs Sterling smiled at Quinn.

Quinn glared at Jeff before turning to face Mrs Sterling. "Thank you, but I shouldn't, I –" she started.

"I'm not having you worry yourself into not sleeping, Quinn," Jeff kissed her forehead. "Your dad wouldn't want you to stay up all night wondering if he's okay, would he?"

Quinn shook her head. "He'd tell me to be _his_ brave little soldier and trust that he can fight for himself," she laughed shakily.

"Exactly," Jeff smiled.

"Your dad said he'll be late from work anyway, Jeff, so I've got some extra dinner. Could you serve up while I go and give this," she put one serving onto a plate and started to cover it with plastic wrap, "to Mrs Fabray? I'll pick up your overnight things while I'm there, sweetie," she patted Quinn's shoulder.

"Thank you, Mrs Sterling," she grinned before turning back and hitting Jeff in the arm. "I told you I didn't want to be a bother!"

"And _I _told _you_ that you're not a bother. My family love you more than they do me!" Quinn giggled. "Hey, you weren't supposed to agree!"

"I'm sorry," she tiptoed up to kiss Jeff's cheek as he served dinner.

"I'm only teasing," he smiled lopsidedly. "C'mere," he finished serving the last plate before kissing her sweetly, running his hand through her hair. "I love you. I know that I say that a lot, but that's only because I just _do_, and –"

Quinn pressed a finger to his lips. "You're rambling again," she giggled. "And I love you, too. If anything, you telling me so much means that I can say it back more. So I don't mind," she beamed.

"God, how are you so perfect?" he breathed.

"Easy. I'm not," she shook her head.

"Except for the _little_ fact that you are," he kissed her again.

"Dinner's getting cold," Quinn suddenly realised.

Jeff groaned. "But I'd much rather stay here and kiss you," he kissed up her jaw, snaking his arm up her back.

"But the others won't," Quinn pushed him away. "And, I mean, it's not like you've not got all night, right?"

"Yeah!" he beamed. He cupped Quinn's face in his hands before covering her ears. "DINNER!" he yelled. He kissed her nose as he removed his hands. "Sorry, baby. Couldn't risk hurting your ears."

"It's fine," she laughed.

…

"Your family are the greatest." They were both sat in Jeff's back garden, on their garden swing.

"Eh, that's only because you don't live with them," Jeff laughed. "Nah, I love 'em really! You see that little house over there?" Jeff pointed to an annexe at the other end of the garden. Quinn nodded. "My grandma used to live with us, but she kept saying she'd only take up space, so Dad built that for her so that she couldn't refuse," he chuckled softly."

"So where's your grandma now?" Quinn asked, leaning into Jeff's chest.

"She…She died not long ago. 73, she made it to. I was always really close to her, so it came as a shock to me. I didn't eat, or sleep well for months. I mean, she was fine, she was just sitting there, talking to me and then…" He quickly wiped the tear falling down his cheek, hoping that Quinn wouldn't have realised.

She did. She looked up and helped Jeff dry his eyes before kissing his now-wet cheek. "I'm so sorry, Jeff," she whispered.

"Don't be, there's nothing you could have done to stop it, right? In fact, the day I met you was the first time I ate something," he smiled.

"Really?" Quinn asked, eyes wide.

"Yeah! I figured you wouldn't want to hang around with a total pity party, so…" he shrugged.

Quinn took his hand and squeezed it. "That's the greatest thing anyone's ever done for me. Thank you," she kissed his lips softly.

"No, thank _you_," Jeff ran his hand through her hair and kissed the top of her head.

…

Jeff had allowed Quinn to use his laptop while he was in the shower. She was talking to Sam:

**Sam – Quinn **So wat are you and jeff doing atm?

**Quinn – Sam **Jeff's singing in the shower, I can hear it from here :L

**Sam – Quinn** Nice :P

**Quinn – Sam** So, spoken to Ash recently? ;D

**Sam – Quinn** Yeh. I miss her :( at lest shes comin back soon tho, right? :D

**Quinn – Sam** Exactly! Anyway, how's life at home?

**Sam – Quinn** Not so good…Dad got made red ants.

**Sam – Quinn** Damn autocorect! I ment rendudant

**Quinn – Sam** Redundant? :O Sam, I'm so sorry to hear that! How are your family coping?

**Sam – Quinn** Well I have a job now, delivering pizzas. Thatll do for now. Mom and dad are looking for jobs but nobodys hiring :( Im selling this fone 2night so I wont get to talk to ash anymore either D:

**Quinn – Sam** Well, you know that I'm always here for you, right? If you need a babysitter, or someone to cook your food, or anything…I'm here.

**Sam – Quinn** Thanks Quinn. your awsome. Oh and could you not tell anyone at scool? Well I don't mind jeff nowing but anyone else?

**Quinn – Sam **Of course! So this means I won't get that dance from you at prom, huh? :/

**Sam – Quinn **Haha, sorry I dowt it! :(

"Who you talking to?" Jeff came out of the bathroom, kissed the top of Quinn's head and rootled around his drawers to find some pajamas.

"Sam. His dad's just been made redundant. And we'd made this pact thing that if we were gonna stay friends after our breakup, we were gonna dance at prom together, but I guess that can't happen," she shrugged sadly.

"And why not?" Jeff asked as he walked back into the bathroom and half-shut the door, standing behind it to get himself dressed. "You and Rachel tell him you'll have some kind of budget-prom in his honor. My cousin's gonna be in town soon and she is an _awesome_ tailor, so that'll hook you guys up for that. Sort out your travel and stuff and boom!" He swung the door open, dressed in an old baseball T-shirt and sweat pants. "We just need to get him a date."

"But he's so hung up on Ash, and they're so cute together!" Quinn shuffled on the bed to make room for Jeff to sit down.

"Who's to say Ash won't be his date?" he asked, eyebrows raised. "She gets homeschooled, so she could totally come up here early…" He crawled onto the bed and then up to Quinn. "Hey, speaking of prom," he purred, "you got a date for that?"

Quinn giggled slightly. "Yeah, I'm taking Britt's cat. I've always wanted to date a Lord." When Jeff looked at her reproachfully, she raised her hands. "Hey, you asked for it by even asking me! Of course we're going to prom together. If that's what you want," she added, pink tinting her cheeks.

"Well, I dunno, now that Lord Tubbington's available…" Jeff smirked. Quinn hit him playfully. "Kidding! So, we're going to prom together?"

"We're going to prom together," Quinn beamed, shutting the lid of Jeff's laptop and putting it to the side before pulling him down by his shirt to kiss him.

Jeff rested on his elbows, one either side of Quinn's head, as his fingers played in her hair. He kissed her back softly, gently, lovingly. He kissed up her jaw and to her earlobe before whispering, "Hey, guess what?"

"What?" Quinn whispered back.

"I love you." A grin spread across his face.

"I love you too, you big dork," Quinn ran her hand through his hair lovingly. "Oh, your hair's still all wet!" She shook her hand to get the water off. Her eyes widened as a devious smirk spread across Jeff's face. "No, Jeff, don't you dare, I – JEFF!" she laughed as her boyfriend shook his head vigorously, sending water droplets everywhere. "I hate you so much," she giggled.

"No you don't, you luuurve me, remember?" he laughed back as he caught her lips with his again. "'M sorry, baby," he mumbled.

"It's fine. Actually, I love it when you get all like this. Like one giant playful puppy," she smirked.

"Well, you know what puppies do best?" Jeff asked, his eyes darkening.

"Why do I feel like I'm gonna regret this already?" Quinn asked, laughing.

"PLAY-FIGHT!" Jeff grabbed Quinn's arms and pinned them to the bed.

She pushed her arms back up and flipped them both over, sitting on Jeff's tummy. "Ha! Years of Cheerios practice. Takes a lot to get past these," she flexed her muscles jokingly.

"Well, how about this?" Jeff asked, sitting up and tickling her.

"Not fair! I – How can you –" Quinn could barely get a coherent sentence out through her laughter. He stopped, and she sighed. "Fine. It's a draw."

"That I can live with," he kissed her nose. "Hey, do you wanna go and get changed and stuff?"

"Okay!" Quinn took her bag into the bathroom and closed the door. Jeff heard an "Oh, damnit!" from the other side of the door.

"Everything okay?" he asked warily.

"My mom forgot to pack a top for me to wear!" Quinn groaned.

"Oh, don't worry!" Jeff grabbed a shirt from the back of a chair – it was white with the Hollister logo on the left hand side in the corner – and opened the door just enough to get his arm through, squeezing his eyes shut tight. Quinn laughed as she saw the extended hand and, further into the room, a Jeff that looked like he was constipated. "Can I look yet?" he asked.

"Jeff, you've seen me in my bathing suit, it's no different," Quinn laughed as she pulled the shirt on. "But if you're really gonna be like that, then yes, it's safe to look now."

"Second rule of being a gentleman is to respect the lady's privacy," Jeff smiled. "By the way, you look so good in that," he purred, bending down to kiss her neck lightly.

"Do you own anything that _isn't_ plaid or from Hollister?" she asked, laughing.

"Yes, I do, thank you! I have this," he pulled the shirt he was wearing, "and a whole bunch of others!"

"Okay, I believe you," she giggled, crawling under the covers of the bed.

"I get my lion cub back," he beamed, tucking himself in too and wrapping an arm around Quinn.

She grinned. "And I have my teddy bear," she rolled over to kiss him slowly. "Goodnight, Jeff."

"Night, beautiful. Sleep tight," Jeff soothed, and they both slipped into a comfortable sleep.


	20. The Bracelet

A/N: Hello again! Man, it only feels like yesterday since we spoke…Oh wait.

Next chapter will be slightly less Quiff-y, more Lortie-y. I will have my happy!Artie :3 But then there will be MOAR QUIFF FOR ALL! Also, are there any other ships you want? Tell me in the reviews!

Enjoy!

…

"Hey, Warbler-boy!" Jeff heard someone yell behind him. He turned to see four well-built students, obviously older than Jeff and most probably on the football team. "Good, so you know your name. And I take it you know your colors, don't you?"

Jeff looked at the cups two of them were holding, wincing, "Red and blue?"

"Good little nerd!" Jeff squeezed his eyes shut as he felt something cold hit his face from both sides. It dripped down his front and back. The jocks snickered. "You better hope we don't see you around again, Warbler-boy!" one called.

Jeff wiped the slushie out of his eyes and walked to the boys' bathroom. There was another boy washing slushie off of himself – green was still trickling out of his hair. "Got slushied too, huh?" he asked.

"Yeah," the other boy said in a thick Irish accent. "Apparently people don't take a fancy to the new kid, especially when they're Irish."

"I'm sure it's not to do with your nationality. I mean, I only came from a school in the next town over, and look at me!" He took a cloth and wiped his face clean. "Jeff Sterling," he outstretched his hand.

"Rory Flanagan," he shook Jeff's hand vigorously. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jeff Sterling!"

"Same to you, Rory," Jeff smiled. "Hey, how do you feel about singing?"

"Oh, I love to sing!" Rory beamed.

"Why don't you come to Glee club this afternoon? Trust me, everyone there's really welcoming. So, will I expect to see you at the choir room at 3?"

"Yeah, you can. Thank you, Jeff Sterling!" Rory patted his back.

"You can just call me Jeff, you know," Jeff laughed.

Rory's eyes widened. "Are you serious?" Jeff nodded. "Wow, that's such an honor, thank you!"

"It's no big deal," Jeff shook his head. "See you later, yeah?"

"Absolutely! Goodbye, Jeff Ster – I mean, Jeff!"

…

"Alright, Rory, that was an awesome audition, you're in!" Everyone clapped.

"So, how did you and Rory meet?" Quinn asked Jeff.

"We both got slushied this morning," Jeff explained.

Puck stood up. "Who did it? I swear, they'll pay!"

"It's fine," Jeff shook his head. "Don't want to cause more trouble," he mumbled.

"Speaking of trouble…" Mercedes rolled her eyes as a girl walked in.

"Who's that?" Jeff asked.

"Sugar Motta," Lauren glared.

"You mean like _Al_ Motta?" Jeff's eyes widened.

"Yep. Mr Schue, please don't tell me this spoilt little sack of tone-deafness is still joining us?"

"Santana, please. If you guys can find room for Jeff and Rory, you can find room for Sugar, too."

Everyone groaned. "Hey, come on, surely she's not that bad!" Jeff looked around at everyone before smiling at Sugar.

"Oh no, she is," Rachel said quietly.

"She's _crazy_," Kurt agreed.

…

"Hey, are you okay?" Jeff asked. He thought he was the last to leave the choir room until he heard Sugar sobbing quietly. He had gone over to her and knelt by her feet.

"Of course I'm not! Everyone hates me, it's not my fault they don't recognise talent when they see it!" she yelled. "Sorry, I have Asperger's," she explained.

"That's still not much of a nice thing to say! Those guys are my friends," he frowned.

"You don't keep very good company, then," she deadpanned before leaning closer. "Maybe I could help you make better friends."

Jeff backed away nervously. "Uhhh, hey, can you help me with something?"

"Oh, absolutely," Sugar purred, still leaning forward.

"What do you think of this?" He presented her with a charm bracelet.

"Jeff! It's beautiful, thank you!" Sugar beamed.

"It's not for you!" He took it back from her hands. "Friday is mine and Quinn's three-month-a-versary. Do you think it's too much?" he asked, biting his lower lip.

"Quinn? Who's Quinn?" Sugar demanded.

"Only the most beautiful girl I've ever met," Jeff grinned dorkily. "She was sat next to me earlier, with the pink hair?"

"Oh. Her," Sugar folded her arms.

"Yeah, you think she'll like it?" he asked hopefully.

"It's over the top," she stated matter-of-factly, taking it from him again and storming out of the room.

…

"Oh, hold on, Mercy, I left my phone on my chair," Quinn called. She opened the door slightly to see Jeff on one knee next to Sugar. She stayed hidden behind the door and listened.

"Can you help me with something?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"What do you think of this?"

"Jeff! It's beautiful, thank you!"

Quinn ran down the corridor, crying. She couldn't believe what she'd heard. Jeff was…_Cheating_ on her? "Quinn?" Mercedes asked. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head wordlessly; she was in too much shock to talk. She saw Sugar walking down the hallway, suddenly adorning a new bracelet. She marched up to the other girl. "What were you and Jeff doing?" she asked.

"Oh, he gave me this bracelet. Isn't that sweet of him? He's the greatest boyfriend ever," she had an annoyingly sickly-sweet smile on her face.

"I have to go," Quinn's voice shook as she ran down the hallway.

…

On Thursday, Jeff snuck up behind Quinn and covered her eyes with his hands. "Guess who?" he beamed. "Okay, I'll give you a clue. He loves you very much and he's super stoked for Friday."

"What's happening on Friday?" Quinn asked sadly, pulling Jeff's hands away. "Got another date with Sugar?"

"Quinn, what are you talking about? Oh, and I picked up your phone. You left it on –"

"On my chair," Quinn finished his sentence, taking the phone from him.

"Y-Yeah. If you knew, why didn't you go back and get it?" he asked, puzzled.

"I tried, but I didn't want to interrupt you and your _other_ girlfriend," she glared.

"What other girlfriend?" Jeff sounded exasperated.

"I saw you give Sugar that bracelet and now she's wearing it around like she owns the place. No different from usual," Quinn rolled her eyes. "I know, Jeff. She told me. You can be with her now," her voice shook at the last statement.

Jeff put his hand on Quinn's locker door, bending down so that his eyes were level with Quinn's. "You honestly think I would do that?" he asked quietly, tears stinging his eyes already. "You know, if you really took notice of that bracelet, you'd see that there were little charms on it. There's a compass and a bird, meaning that when we met, you were a New Direction and I was a Warbler. There's a lion because I always call you my little lion cub. There's a microphone because you're the first person that I've ever written a song about. There's a bowling pin because that's where I took you on our first date. There's a rabbit because that was your first word and that was our present to Beth on her birthday. There's a beach ball because of us spending spring break together down in Virginia Beach. And on the clasp, which is in the shape of a heart, there's a '23rd February, 2010' etched because that was the day we met." His voice trembled. "And yet, even though I went to all of that trouble for you, you'll still assume something based on someone who even Kurt dubbed 'crazy' over your own _boyfriend_?"

"Wait…Jeff, please, I –"

"I need to take a walk," he stated simply.

"Wait, are you breaking up with me?" Qunn asked fearfully.

"I'm taking. A walk." Jeff yelled as he stormed away.

…

"Hey, Nick, can you ring me back later?"

"No."

"Look, Nick, I don't feel like talking, Quinn –"

"Is currently here at Dalton sobbing into Blaine's sleeve? We know."

"Wait, she _is_?"

"Yes, and she feels terrible for judging you."

"But I would never cheat on her!"

"I know that, but can you blame her for making assumptions after what happened with Finn?"

"Aw crap, you're right. God, I feel terrible! Er, okay. Tell Quinn to go to Lincoln Park, but don't tell her I asked you."

"Why are you guys going to see Linkin Park, Jeff? You don't even like them! Are they even touring right now?"

"No, _Lincoln_! Tell her to be at Lincoln Park at 8 o'clock!"

"That's a bit late, isn't it?"

"Just do it!"

"Fine."

"Thank you, Nicky."

"No problem, Jeffy. Three out."

"Six out."

…

"Why are you even driving me to the park this late, Nick?" Quinn asked.

"Quinn, if I knew, I would tell you," Nick replied honestly.

Nick pulled over. "This is where I leave you."

"Wait, what now?"

Nick shrugged. "Try reading that," he pointed to a light green sticky note.

Quinn thanked Nick and got out of the car. She read the note: **Like it? It's blue and yellow, just like us! I'm so sorry, and I promise I'll make it up to you. Just follow the arrows! – Love Jeff x**

Quinn looked around for some kind of arrow, before seeing one made of rocks pointing to the left. She took the note and followed the arrow until she saw another carved into a tree trunk, with another sticky note plastered above it: **Aw yay, you actually followed it! I was worried you wouldn't. Anyway, keep going, you won't regret it! I hope. – Love Jeff x**

Quinn took the sticky note off again to find another carving. She inspected it carefully before realising it said 'Jeff loves Lucy' in a heart. A grin spread across her face as she followed arrows made of twigs, leaves, flowers, anything and everything, all with little sticky notes on them.

Eventually it was quite dark and Quinn still hadn't found any sign of Jeff, until she saw a whole bunch of sticky notes arranged into two words: LOOK UP! She did so to see Jeff sat on a picnic blanket, lit candles surrounding it, and tuning a guitar, a pair of blue sunglasses dangling from the neckline of his shirt.

He looked up to see Quinn and sheer joy swept over his face. He clambered up and ran towards Quinn, taking her hand and leading her to the picnic rug he was sat on previously. He gestured for her to sit down, then took a seat next to her. "Jeff, wha –"

Jeff pressed his finger to her lips and smiled. He picked up his guitar and started singing softly:

"_It's summertime, and you are all that's on my mind, everyday.  
>It seems like we, could stay up and talk through the night.<br>Oh, what do you say?_

_Say you'll stay  
>Hey<br>I just keep on wishing everyday.  
>Hey<br>No more running around, running around  
>Running around,<br>When I'm around,  
>Just say you'll stay.<em>

_Lucy Quinn's hair  
>She looks so cute in the clothes she wears.<br>Her lips so sweet  
>And when I walk her to the door, I'm thinking,<br>Gee, just give me one more kiss, I'm begging, please._

_Say you'll stay  
>Hey<br>I just keep on wishing everyday.  
>Hey<br>No more running around, running around  
>Running around,<br>When I'm around,  
>Just say you'll stay.<em>

_And who knows, when we are together,  
>We never wanna go.<br>For any kind of weather.  
>I just need to know, to know,<br>That you,  
>You'll be there,<br>Every time I need you._

_Say you'll stay  
>Hey<br>I just keep on wishing everyday.  
>Hey<br>No more running around_

_Say you'll stay  
>Hey<br>I just keep on wishing everyday.  
>Hey<br>No more running around, running around  
>Running around,<br>When I'm around,  
>Just say you'll stay.<em>"

Jeff cleared his throat. "Quinn, I am so…_So_ sorry. I shouldn't have ran off like that, I should have just told you that I'm not a cheater and I never will be because who in their right mind would cheat on _you_? You're perfect! And –" Quinn stopped his rambling by kissing him sweetly.

"Hey, you had every right to be mad at me. I shouldn't have assumed you were cheating, I know you're not like that, but I was scared of losing you," Quinn's voice shook.

"You're not losing me to anyone anytime soon," he smiled, kissing her forehead. "Oh, and seeing as I kinda ruined the surprise this morning," Jeff dug around in his pocket and took out the bracelet, "I got it off her. Happy three-month-a-versary, baby." He put the bracelet on her.

Quinn beamed. "Technically, it's still our two-month-and-thirty-days-a-versary, but I'll let it slide," Quinn smirked.

"I'm still taking you out tomorrow, though, I hope you realise," he grinned.

"Does this have anything to do with Artie's date that you're setting up?" Quinn laughed. "Who are you matching him up with, anyway? They better be good!"

"Rory's sister, Lorna. I've never met her, but apparently she and Artie already know each other and she totally likes him. I don't know how he feels about her, though – Hey, what are you doing?"

"Asking Artie what he thinks of Lorna," she grinned wickedly. She read from her screen, "_Yeah, of course I know her! She's awesome. Why?_"

"Tell him you heard about her and wanted his opinion," Jeff shrugged. Quinn did so. "So, do you want a lift home now?"

"But I wanna stay with you," she pouted. She leant forward to kiss Jeff lightly. "I love you."

"And I love you too. But you need your sleep." Jeff blew all the candles out and collected them, putting them in a rucksack along with the blanket. He slung it on his back, carried his guitar on one hand and held Quinn's with the other.

…

Just as Quinn climbed into bed, her phone flashed.

**Fr: Jeff  
>Goodnight, beautiful. Sweet dreams :) 3 xx<strong>


	21. Dinner, Duets and Dalton

A/N: Hi! :) Okay, so this starts off being more Lortie than Quiff but then it goes back! Also I only just found out that Lima and Westerville aren't fictional towns, and that they're actually like an hour away from each other which totally doesn't make sense in this fic but whatever, it's AU, everything's different!

Lorna is based off of thegirlwhowas0nfire from Tumblr. If you have it, go follow her, she's awesoooome :D

Oh yeah! There was something else I wanted to say. To the person who wanted the rating to go up; I don't know. What do the rest of you think? If the rating goes up, they can swear as much as they want, and I can write about them getting drunk, or into a fight, or (as is most cases with the M rating on this site :P) smut. So do you guys wanna see that sort of stuff or do you prefer it fluffy? (Obviously, the smut won't be happening for quite a while if the rating did go up, I want to keep it realistic still) Tell me what you think in the reviews! :3

Enjoy!

…

Artie looked around nervously, his hands shaking in his lap. _This was a stupid idea. Nobody's gonna want to go on a date with me, what was I thinking? I'm just gonna go home and –_ "Artie?" a voice cut him off.

He looked up and saw Lorna standing next to him. She was wearing a red dress that just about reached her knees and black heels, matching Artie's choice of a white shirt, red sweater vest, black trousers and dress shoes very well, and her red-brown hair fell to her shoulders in neat curls. "Hi, Lorna! What are you doing here?"

"Aren't I supposed to be on a date with you?" she asked.

"Oh! Oh, yeah. I guess you are," he grinned goofily. "You look really good tonight," his smile softened, making a mental note to thank Jeff when he next saw him.

Lorna blushed. "Thank you, Artie! You do, too!"

He shook his head bashfully. "Oh, and this is for you," he presented her with a rose. "I know it's corny, but…" she shrugged.

Lorna took it, giggling. "It's not corny. It's sweet."

"Shall we go in then?" Artie asked. "I'd take your hand, but I kinda need mine," he gestured to his wheelchair.

Lorna rested her hand on his shoulder sympathetically. "Sure!" she smiled.

…

"So how's your food?" Quinn asked Jeff.

"Oh, it's awesome! This meat is fantastic!" he beamed.

Quinn giggled. "Good to hear."

"Here, try some!" Jeff cut a piece off, stabbed his fork onto it and offered it to Quinn.

She ate it, nodding. "This is fantastic!" she exclaimed, mouth still full. She blushed, swallowing her mouthful. "Sorry," she giggled.

"Don't be. That was…Oddly adorable." Jeff took her hand. "Then again, it's probably because everything you do is adorable," he grinned, rubbing his thumb against the back of her hand.

"You're such a dork," Quinn rolled her eyes playfully, her bracelet jangling as she played with her and Jeff's fingers.

"You love it really," his nose scrunched. "Hey, look who's just come in!" He gestured to where Lorna and Artie were talking to a waiter.

"We can't let them see us!" Quinn hissed, and she covered both of their faces with a menu. Jeff couldn't help but giggle childishly. "Shhh!" she hushed, laughter shaking in her own voice.

"I can't help it!" he whispered, peeking around the side.

"What are they doing?" Quinn whispered.

"Coast is clear," he put his side of the menu down. "We can see them but they can't see us," he grinned. "And Artie's got a huge grin on his face. He'll be fine," he covered Quinn's hand with his own. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to celebrate the fact that I've been with my amazingly beautiful girlfriend for exactly a quarter of a year now," he kissed the corner of her mouth softly.

"And if _you_ don't mind, I'd like to celebrate that I've managed to keep the greatest boyfriend ever for three months," she kissed him lightly.

"Oh, I don't mind that at all," he purred, leaning in again.

…

"So, Lorna, tell me more about yourself," Artie rested his chin on his fist.

"I like Harry Potter…I may or may not have cosplayed as Luna Lovegood in the past," she blushed.

Artie's jaw dropped. "You _cosplay_? As Harry Potter characters?" Lorna nodded, embarrassed. "Whoa, that's awesome," he grinned.

"Oh, you think so?" Lorna asked shyly. Artie nodded, and she smiled back confidently. "I'm also a huge fan of the TV show Doctor Who. I don't know if you've ever seen it…"

"I've heard of it, I keep meaning to watch it at some point!"

"Maybe you could…Borrow mine sometime?" she asked shyly.

"I'd like to," he smiled.

"So, come on, tell me about _you_!"

"Well, I'm really not the 'coolest' guy around." At the word 'coolest', he made air quotation marks with his fingers. "Whilst most people spend their weekends partying and getting drunk, I play Minecraft and Portal and all _those_ kinda games. It's lame, I know," he shrugged.

"That's not lame! That's definitely cool," Lorna reached over to squeeze his hand gently.

"Really?" Artie beamed. "Wow," he breathed. "I – Thank you. For, y'know, agreeing to come tonight. It means a lot," he nodded with a small smile.

"Okay, Rory will tell you this eventually anyway, so I might as well now. I've kind-of _maybe_ had this little crush on you since I met you, but I never _do_ anything about my crushes. I guess Rory was getting fed up of that and he and Jeff were talking, and I dunno. Here we are," she shrugged. "I'm making a total idiot of myself, aren't I?" She hid herself behind her hair.

"No, you're not. I've liked you for a while, too. Hence why I was so surprised to see you here, earlier," he shrugged.

"Oh!" Lorna brightened again. "Cool," she flustered before giggling. "So, er, how are Quinn and Jeff reacting now?"

"They both 'aww'-ed and are grinning hopelessly," Artie laughed.

"They still think we don't know they're there?"

"Don't think so," he giggled.

"May I take your order?" a new voice asked.

…

On Saturday, Quinn tapped the first name in her phonebook and then the green call button.

"_Who dis be?_"

"Artie, it's me, Quinn!"

"_Oh, hey, Quinn! How goes it?_"

"Oh, come on, that's not important! How did yesterday go?"

"_You can tell me that_."

"What are you talking about?"

"_Don't act dumb with me, Fabray; we knew you and Jeff were spying on us!_"

"…No, we weren't…"

"_Quinn…_"

"Fine, so we were. You two are so cute!"

"_We know. Hey, Lorna! Say hi to Quinn! – __**Hey, Quinn! Have a nice meal last night?**_"

"Hi, Lorna! And shut up, Artie's already told me off about that."

"_A'ight, Quinn, we're headed out to the comic book store. Catch you later! – __**Bye, Quinn!**__"_

"Bye, you guys!"

…

The weekend had flown past, and before they knew it, the New Directions were back in the choir room. "Okay, everyone! We've got Nationals in a few months, and for once we need to _prepare_ a number. Now, I say we keep with the whole original song theme, _but_ I don't want Finn and Rachel singing." Both of their mouths fell open.

"Mr Schuester, as much as I normally admire your artistic direction, I really don't think that this is the best option if we want to win Nationals," Rachel gushed.

"Yeah, Mr Schue, Rachel and I –"

"Have sung a duet at Regionals in the past and we _lost_. When Santana, Sam and Quinn performed at Regionals, we won. This is Nationals. There's a lot of fresh blood to pump around here, guys! So. I'm gonna partner you up, based on when you joined us. Finn, you'll be with Rory. Rachel, with Jeff. Puck and Lauren, Kurt and Sam, Tina and Mike, Quinn and Mercedes, Santana and Sugar. Oh, but that still leaves Brittany…"

"Don't bother. I don't even _want _to be a part of this stupid glee club!" Sugar stormed out.

"O-kay then," Mr Schuester stretched out the 'Oh' sound. "I guess Santana, you'll be singing with Brittany!" Both girls hugged each other. "Alright, guys! There's no theme as such, but you need to pick a song that's gonna showcase _both_ of your talents! Performances next week. Let's do this!"

…

"Hey, Jeff?" Rachel asked quietly. They were at Jeff's house, in his room. She was studying a photo that sat in a frame next to his bed of him and Quinn in Virginia.

"Yeah?" he asked, laying on his bed so that his head hung upside down over the edge.

"When did you and Quinn…You know…"

"Er, we haven't gotten _that_ far yet. I don't think we will do for a long time, either…" He pulled a face nervously.

"Oh, I thought you'd already told each other you loved each other. I'm sorry," she apologised.

"Oh wait, you were talking about _that_?" The colour spread back into Jeff's cheeks as he sat up. "Oh, okay."

"Well, yeah. What did you _think _I was –"

"Never mind that!" Jeff interrupted loudly. "It was about a month in – the day I left the Warblers. I was gonna tell her anyway, but I didn't know how. She came online and I thought about it but I was like 'nah, it's gotta be face to face!' I still sent her a little, y'know, 'Hey, how are you?' sort of thing. She told me she was upset, so I went round her house to see if she was okay. I comforted her and she said it first," he smiled.

"So, it just…Happened?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah. Why are you – Oh God, you're…Aww!" Jeff beamed before crawling over and pulling Rachel into a hug. "Aw, that's so cute!"

"We need to think of a song," Rachel suddenly changed the subject as red patches formed on her cheeks.

"We do," Jeff nodded. "Any ideas?"

"The Chiffons. One Fine Day. I'll admit, it's not the message either of us want to give out, but it'll suit our voices well, which was the assignment, yes?"

"Yeah, that sounds awesome!" Jeff beamed. He picked up his guitar and started playing the first chord. "You wanna sing the first part?" Rachel nodded. "Cool! Let's do this!"

…

"_Six! You're needed urgently._"

"Wait, what? Why?"

"_Dalton lockdown, bro!_"

"I don't go to Dalton anymore, Nick, remember?"

"_Shut up. Once a Warbler and all that jazz._"

"Oh, so is Kurt invited too?"

"_Ah, there's a lot going on with Blaine over here. We don't need the drama._"

"Wait, what's happening with Blaine? Is he okay?"

"_Well, there's a new Warbler, Sebastian. He's, ah, taken a liking to Blaine, shall we say_."

"But Blaine's dating Kurt now! Right?"

"_Yeah, that's why he doesn't want Kurt there! He wants to deal with Sebastian himself, otherwise he's scared people's feelings will get hurt._"

"Man, first the Gap guy and now this? Blaine's popular with the guys!"

"_Yeah…Hey, speaking of, did you and Quinn sort things out?_"

"Oh, yeah, we're cool now."

"_Aweso – Wait. Do I hear Rachel in the background there?_"

"Chill out, man, we have a Glee assignment. Look…HEY, RACHEL, NICK'S ON THE PHO – OH, OKAY, SORRY! She's in the bathroom right now."

"_Dude, don't worry, I trust you! If anything, I'm jealous of Rachel. I haven't seen you once since spring break._"

"Aw, does little Nicky miss me?"

"_A little!_"

"I miss you too, man. I'll be at this lockdown thing. What day?"

"_Sweet! Friday from 8pm. You better be there!_"

"I will, don't worry. Six out."

"_Three out._"

…

**Jeff – Quinn** Hey! :D

**Quinn – Jeff** Someone's happy :P Hey :)

**Jeff – Quinn** I'm talking to you, aren't I? Of course I'm happy!

**Quinn – Jeff** You're such a goofball! How are you?

**Jeff – Quinn** Don't act like you don't love it ;P I'm fantastic, thanks! And you?

**Quinn – Jeff** I'm talking to you, aren't I? Of course I'm fine! ;D

**Jeff – Quinn** Touché. How's yours and Mercedes' song coming along?

**Quinn – Jeff** It's great! I mean, the song's not exactly ideal, but…

**Jeff – Quinn** Oh, that's fine. Rachel and I's song is like the total opposite of how we feel, but we sound awesome!

**Quinn – Jeff** You two are getting along well, then :P

**Jeff – Quinn** Well, she spends a lot of time talking. I find it best to nod a lot, with the occasional 'yeah' thrown in.

**Quinn – Jeff** You've learnt quickly :P Why are the Warblers talking about some kind of lockdown?

**Jeff – Quinn** Every year, Dalton has a 'lockdown' where students aren't allowed to leave campus for an entire weekend. From Friday at 8pm to Sunday at 8pm. I have to go because it's everyone that's been a student at Dalton this year.

**Quinn – Jeff** So why isn't Kurt going?

**Jeff – Quinn** Apparently there's a new guy that keeps flirting with Blaine, and he doesn't want to worry Kurt.

**Quinn – Jeff** I see. But does that mean I can't see you all weekend? D:

**Jeff – Quinn** I think so :( But normally people sneak outsiders in so I'll see what I can do ;P I'll just have to have Rachel come too, so that'll get Nick on side.

**Quinn – Jeff** Tell me when you've found out so I can tell Rachel! :D

**Jeff – Quinn** Will do :3 Ugh, I gotta go now. Babysitting my mom's friend's son. Well, the younger one. The one that's our age is our friend, too!

**Quinn – Jeff** Aww, that's adorable!

**Jeff – Quinn** Come with me if you want!

**Quinn – Jeff** Wait, what's this friend's name?

**Jeff – Quinn** …Jackson.

**Quinn – Jeff** Why does everyone your family know have a name starting with J?

**Jeff – Quinn** It's not his first name, it's his surname!

**Quinn – Jeff** What's his first name?

**Jeff – Quinn** If I tell you, he'll kill me.

**Quinn – Jeff** He won't know!

**Jeff – Quinn **Fine. His first name is Rutherford.

**Quinn – Jeff** Oh, come on, stop fooling around!

**Jeff – Quinn** I'm not! That's actually his real name!

**Quinn – Jeff** Oh. Okay. There was a guy called Matt Rutherford in sophomore year, but he never came back to Glee.

**Jeff – Quinn** I totally needed to know that, didn't I?

**Quinn – Jeff** Yep! God, I wish I could come with you, but I have my Spanish work to finish still. I'm sorry.

**Jeff – Quinn** It's cool! I'll ask Nick. Give us a chance to hang out before the lockdown.

**Quinn – Jeff** Alright, you two better not do anything stupid.

**Jeff – Quinn** It's like you don't know us. :P Okay, gotta go now. I love you!

**Quinn – Jeff** I love you too :) Have fun!


	22. Lockdown, Part 1

A/N: Hi, guys! Firstly I wanna thank you all for your input on the rating thing. I won't officially put the rating up, but I figured the person who wanted it to deserved an explanation, so there is one in the story :) Also, people seem to like Nichel :D Should I write a spin-off fic based on them? Let me knooow! Also I'm running out of ideas, so this fic might be ending soon :/ Leave me prompts to fill if you still want! Either here in the reviews or on Tumblr; kayleighweasley . tumblr . com / ask without the spaces :3

Enjoy!

…

"SIX!" Jeff had just put his bag on the floor when he was attacked from both sides.

"Oh God, everyone prepare yourselves, Three-Sixty is back together!" Blaine laughed. "Come on, Nick, Thad, share Jeff nicely with everyone else, please." The two brunettes let go of Jeff and allowed the shortest Warbler to hug Jeff tightly. "We've missed you, man!"

"I've missed all of you too!" Jeff grinned, still a little breathless.

"So you're the famous Jeff Sterling I've heard so much about," a voice drawled. Footsteps echoed through the halls as a tall brown-haired boy approached Jeff. "Allow me to introduce myself. Sebastian Smythe," he outstretched his hand.

"Jeff Ster – Oh wait, you know my name," Jeff laughed as he shook it. "So what do these guys say about me?"

"All good things, don't worry. But so far, reality exceeds expectations," he arched an eyebrow.

Jeff's phone beeped. He looked at the name and a grin spread across his face. "Sorry," he apologised to Sebastian. "It's my girlfriend."

"Girlfriend." Sebastian deadpanned.

"Yeah, look!" Jeff showed him the screen, which was filled with a picture of him and Quinn at the beach. "Isn't she the most breath-taking girl you've ever seen?" he smiled dreamily.

"I don't know, I prefer the _handsome_ kind," Sebastian had an odd purring tone to his voice that made Jeff feel slightly uncomfortable.

"Uh, that's great! I mean, I don't have a problem with that."

"So, does this mean you'd be willing to _experiment_?" Sebastian's eyebrows rose.

Jeff shuffled away nervously. "I'm definitely straight. I don't mind, y'know, kissing guys for a dare or anything, but I wouldn't go any further than that."

Sebastian looked Jeff up and down. "Pity. At least there's still Blaine, though."

"Er, Blaine has a boyfriend," Jeff reminded him.

"And hockey's got a goalie," Sebastian patted Jeff's arm as he started walking off. "But that doesn't mean I can't score."

"Well, he's certainly…Direct," Jeff finally said as the door closed behind Sebastian.

"You see why we didn't want Kurt here?" Nick asked, still glaring at the door.

"Yeah…" Jeff checked his inbox for the message Quinn had sent him while he was talking to Sebastian.

**Fr: Quinn  
>Dad rang! :D He said he's doing fine and he hopes we all are too. He said to thank you and your family for helping my mom and me :) Hope you're having fun! x<strong>

Jeff grinned before texting back:

**To: Quinn  
>Yay! ^_^ I'm glad your dad's okay. I take it you're happy too, haha :P I just met the newest Warbler, and he tried hitting on me -.- But otherwise it's been good! I miss you though :( x<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>I guess. I mean, I'm happy that he's alive but now I miss him even more. And oh, I've got competition, do I? ;) I miss you too, Jeffy. Get your butt back here now :P x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Stop texting Jeff, he's supposed to be in lockdown. – Thad<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Did you just steal Jeff's phone?<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Maybe. – Not-Thad<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Thaaaad, I know it's you.<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Damn. So, since all the Warblers seem to be shacking up with New Directions, are there any left? – Desperate-Thad<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Haha, I don't think so. Mercedes is with Shane now, so nope, every girl's taken.<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Damnit! – Sad-Thad<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Hmm, how about this. If you get Rachel and me into Dalton, I'll also bring the Cheerios.<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>You can't tempt me with breakfast cereal, Quinn. – Not-That-Desperate-Thad<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Haha, no, silly! The Cheerios are our school's cheerleading squad.<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>You had me at 'cheerleading squad'. – Excited-Thad<strong>

"Dude!" Jeff finally stole his phone back. "Who've you been talking to and what abou – Oh," he laughed as he read the conversation, "Never mind."

…

They were sat in the boarding quarters of Dalton: Wes, David, Sebastian, Blaine, Nick, Rachel, Quinn, Jeff, Thad and several Cheerios. Boarding at Dalton was optional; you didn't have to, but if you did then it would cost you extra.

"So, take me through your nicknames!" Quinn said, looking around at everyone.

"Alright. Thad, Nick and I used to be part of a hockey team, so that's how we got our nicknames. Since we were totally the best two players out there, but nobody knew _who_ we were, the commentators would always just call us 3 and 6. There was a Thad and a Brad, so they were T and B. Brad moved to Colorado," Jeff explained. "Us three kept hanging out at Dalton and because we were 3, 6 and T…"

"Oh my God, you guys are three-sixty!" Quinn clapped, giggling.

"Yep," Jeff laughed. "Wes is Gav, because his one true love is his gavel, as we all know. David doesn't have a nickname – he's _way_ too dignified." David nodded. "Blaine's Potter because when he joined, he totally looked like Harry Potter. Kurt became Kurtsie," Quinn and Rachel giggled, "and I don't know about Sebastian."

"Oh, he's Crabs," Thad smirked.

"Charming…" Jeff shook his head.

Silence filled the hall, until… "Truth or Dare!" Blaine suddenly called out.

"Alright, then, you can start. Blaine, truth or dare?" Wes asked.

"Truth!"

"Furthest you've ever gone with a guy," Sebastian stated simply.

"Er, I've only ever kissed a – Two guys," Blaine blushed.

"So you really _are_ an innocent little schoolboy?" Sebastian eyed Blaine up and down.

"Okay! Nick, truth or dare?" Jeff interjected.

"Oh, go on then. Dare," Nick's eyes glinted.

"You have to tell everyone here your biggest secret!" one of the Cheerios piped up.

Nick shook his head, opening and closing his mouth wordlessly. "Nick? What's wrong?" Rachel asked.

He looked around the group before sighing and leading Rachel to another room. He reappeared moments later, a huge grin spread across his face. "I AM COMPLETELY AND HOPELESSLY IN LOVE WITH RACHEL BARBRA BERRY!" he yelled as he slid on his knees to rejoin them. He looked at the other's reactions when he realised he'd left Rachel behind. He ran back, bending down to allow Rachel to jump onto his back before zooming back to the group, making Rachel giggle, red-faced.

"I think we should give Rachel time to rest," Thad laughed. "Quinn?"

Quinn took a while to ponder what she would answer with. "Last time we played, I picked _Dare_, so now I should pick Truth."

"Okay…FMK time!" Nick grinned. "Who would you sleep with, marry or kill out of the following; Tom Felton, Robert Pattinson and Zach Braff?"

"I can't answer that with Jeff right here!" Quinn frowned, leaning into her boyfriend's chest.

"I'll make allowances for this," he laughed. "It's all hypothetical, after all."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Well, I'd marry Zach Braff, obviously." Jeff nodded approvingly, making Quinn giggle. "I'd probably end up sleeping with…Tom Felton. And then I'd have to kill Robert Pattinson."

"Good girl. _Never_ trust a man that sparkles," Jeff ruffled her hair. Everyone laughed. "Go on, I'll pick Truth this time, too."

"You're all boring!" Sebastian groaned.

"We can have more than one round," Thad pointed out.

"Alright, someone pick a truth for Jeffy," Nick smirked.

"Have you ever experimented?" Sebastian asked.

"Are you here just to flirt with everyone?" another Cheerio asked him.

"Well, I've gotta get my kicks somehow," he drawled, turning back to Jeff. "Well, have you?"

Jeff shuffled awkwardly before catching Nick's eye and laughing. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you guys. When Nick first came out, I did…Y'know, wonder if I was bisexual, too. So Nick and I decided to sneak into this gay bar…This was last year, when we were 16," he explained. "I was getting grinded on and touched everywhere and I felt like a deer in a field of lions," he flushed.

"Aww, little Jeffers couldn't take the big men," Quinn teased.

"Shut up," Jeff kissed the top of her head. "Anyway, after that, I realised that I didn't like men in that way, which is why I don't care about kissing 'em and stuff," he shrugged.

…

After several rounds of Truth or Dare, Nick's phone beeped. He took it out and rolled his eyes. "Rach, babe, if you or Quinn need to get home, you should do so now."

"But I want to stay here with you," Rachel sat up to kiss him softly.

"Then why don't you?" Jeff asked. "Both of you," he squeezed Quinn slightly. "Well, _all_ of you, if you want!" he grinned at the Cheerios.

"No, we'd better go. Cheer practice tomorrow morning. Bye, Thaddy!" All three girls kissed him on the cheek before going, leaving Thad feeling very smug.

"So, how are we arranging sleeping quarters?" Wes asked.

"I think we'll leave Nick and Rachel alone tonight…_I'll explain later_," he whispered into Quinn's ear. Nick nodded in thanks, and both grinned. "Blainers…" Jeff put on his most puppy-like expression.

Blaine sighed. "You can stay in my room. Want me to stay in Thad's?"

"Dude." Jeff deadpanned before showing a necklace that Quinn had always seen him wear, but never asked about.

"Okay, I'm sorry," Blaine raised his hands innocently.

"Are you sure you can handle the Quiff, though?" Thad smirked at Blaine.

"Yeah, good point," Blaine laughed. "I'll room with Thad tonight."

…

"Can you please explain to me what's going on with everyone, then? Because you guys seem to be all 'in the know' and I don't have a clue," Quinn frowned. She was stood on the floor while Jeff laid on the bed.

"They've been together four months now. In Dalton traditions, that normally marks the start of…Y'know, the _appropriate_ time. Don't worry, walls are soundproof," he put his hands behind his head.

"Wait, but – How come – Hold on – But you and I have been –"

Jeff pulled the necklace out again. "This," he pointed to the ring suspended on the chain, "is a purity ring. People started to think I was married when I wore it, so now I keep it around my neck. I'm not doing anything like _that_ unless it's with my eventual wife," he assured her.

She joined him on the bed, once again wearing his clothes. "You're the most adorable being on this planet," she smiled.

"And you're the sexiest," he purred. "Especially when you wear my clothes like that," he swooped in to kiss her neck gently and sweetly.

"So, you talk about a purity ring…"

"Hey, I'm allowed to be attracted to you! I just won't…Do that sort of stuff until we're married." He stopped himself from saying anything more, pink tinging his cheeks.

"_Until_ we're married?" Quinn asked, laying on Jeff's chest. His hands immediately started playing with her hair. "You think we'll get married?"

"Well, I dunno…I hope so, because it'd be impossible finding someone as perfect as you again," he smiled. "But if you must know, I have kind of mapped our future a little," he admitted nervously.

"Ooh, tell me!" Quinn grinned.

"Okay. So we have a boy and a girl, and their names are like genderswapped versions of ours because only the coolest of people do that," he smiled lopsidedly.

"Like Will Smith and his family?" she giggled.

"Exactly! So yeah, they're Jess and Quentin –"

"I'm not having a child named Quentin."

"Well, Quentin's his name if you wanted to be Quinn still! If you wanted to go back to being Lucy, he'd be Lucius. Luke for short."

"That's better. I like the name Luke."

"Okay, so we'll have Luke and Jess and they'll be totally embarrassed by their names but they'll have to deal with them."

"You're so cruel to our kids!"

"You try living with a name like Jeffery Leonard, it's not easy!"

"Okay, so there's Luke and Jess…"

"Yeah, and we have a dog named Jasper, and we live in a little four-bedroom house that's kind of in the town, but there's parks everywhere! And I teach dance to kids while you're on one of those morning TV shows and you win all of these awards and stuff and everyone loves you," he bent his head low to kiss her softly. "But I end up loving you the most."

Quinn kissed him back, grinning. "You really _have_ thought about that, haven't you?"

"Yeah," he nodded, smiling bashfully. "You think I'm weird now, huh?"

"Not at all. I think you're adorable and sweet and everything good," she leant up to nuzzle into his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too, baby," he kissed her forehead. "Good night." He wrapped his arms around her and closed his eyes.


	23. Lockdown, Part 2

A/N: Hello everyone! I'm so sorry about the delay, personal things took over and I was too depressed to write. I'm better now though, obviously :D

My Nichel fic is up! I can't link to it, but if you go back a page (or however many pages you've read up until now :P) and in the Characters menus, put Nick and Rachel, it's called 'My Uptown Girl'! Let me know if I should continue with that too and stuff :3

Oh! And I don't own any of the new characters in this fic either. They belong to a literary GOD. You'll see when you read further in ;3

Enjoy!

…

Quinn rubbed her eyes wearily as she woke up, rolling over to find Jeff still asleep. She smiled at the sight, snuggling closer. He awoke shortly after, laughing sleepily. "And for how long have you been watching me sleep?"

"Not long," she blushed.

He pulled her up slightly into an Eskimo kiss. "You're adorable," he smiled before climbing out of bed. "Now you wait right there, baby. Have a bit of a lie-in," he grinned. "I'm gonna make you my world-famous pancakes!"

Quinn laughed as she sat up. "World-famous?"

"Hey, my friend Alex from England thinks they're awesome, so…" Jeff shrugged before jogging round to kiss the top of Quinn's head. "Be right back. I love you!" he called as he backed out.

"I love you more!" she yelled back.

"Can't!" came the reply from the hallway. Jeff smirked as he strode down the halls until he reached the kitchens. Rachel was already there, wearing one of Nick's shirts. Jeff shielded his eyes by covering them with his hand. "Rachel! Could've warned me," he half-yelled.

Rachel made a startled sound. "Sorry, Jeff! I wasn't aware you'd entered. I'll just…" she gestured out the door before realising he couldn't see. "I'm gone!" she shouted as she left the kitchen. Jeff removed his hand, shaking his head and smirking. He was just getting the ingredients out when he heard footsteps. "Am I gonna have to cover my eyes again?" he asked, as his back was to the door.

"Nothing you haven't already seen, Jeffy," came Nick's voice. He was wearing track pants and a vest top.

"You know, you should have come out instead of Rachel. As pretty as your girlfriend may be, there's some stuff that's for your eyes only," he patted Nick's shoulder before a cracking a grin. "So I take it everything went _well_," he smirked.

Nick laughed before nodding. "Yeah, it wa – it was awesome," he grinned.

"Well, I'm happy for you, man," Jeff smiled as he started mixing.

"Oh, and I'm sorry about the whole Rachel thing," Nick apologised.

"Eh, don't worry. It's not like I would suddenly try to put any moves on her. I know she's yours and besides, I've got Quinn," he grinned.

"Oh yeah, were you guys alright last night?" Nick asked.

"Yeah, it was fine. I just love being around her, you know? Like right now, she's only in the other room, but I miss her. Is that weird?"

"Not at all. It's how I feel every day now that you're at McKinley," Nick winked.

"Shut up," Jeff laughed.

"Nah, in all seriousness, I totally get what you mean. Speaking of, I'd better get these," he waggled the bottles of soda he'd collected from the fridge, "back to my awaiting girlfriend." He half-saluted Jeff. "See you, Six!"

"Later, Three!"

…

Jeff re-entered Blaine's bedroom minutes later, a tray of warm pancakes in his hands. "Hey, you," he smiled softly as he approached Quinn again. He set the tray on her lap and walked around the bed to the other side. He lay next to her and ripped one pancake in half. Quinn watched him eat it with an air of sadness. "Is it hard? Eating again, I mean."

Jeff finished his mouthful and sighed. "It depends on how happy I am. If I don't feel good then I don't eat much. But I tend to eat things in small goes now. Makes it easier," he smiled before taking another bite.

Quinn leant across and kissed his cheek. "I'm proud of you, Jeff." She hugged him tightly, and he wrapped an arm around her.

"And I'm proud of _you_. Everything you've done, and you haven't cracked, you've dealt with it all, you're on great terms with Beth and Finn and Rachel and…You're awesome," he kissed the top of her head.

"That's only because I have you, though," she states matter-of-factly.

"And the only reason behind why you're proud of me was because I met you. Looks like we're good for each other, doesn't it?" he chuckled.

She snuggled into him more. "We're perfect for each other. I know it."

…

"So what else is there to do at Dalton?" Rachel asked.

"Not a lot, really," Thad answered honestly.

"Come on, if you can sneak us in, surely we can all sneak out?" Quinn raised her eyebrows.

"Where shall we go?" David asked.

"DAVID!" most of the Warblers gasped in mock-horror.

"It's not like you to agree with us!" Jeff teased.

"What's Molly done to put you in this mood?" Nick smirked.

David hit him. "You're one to talk," he murmured so that Rachel wouldn't hear. While David loved to put people in their place, he still remained a gentleman.

"Hey, aren't the Blue Jackets playing today?" Jeff asked hopefully to groans from his ex-classmates.

"Jeffy, as much as we love you, there's more to life than hockey," Nick patted his best friend's shoulder. "No, don't you dare give me the puppy look, Jeff, don't you – Oh come on, David, look at that face," Nick plead, and Jeff grinned.

"Is he always won over that easily?" Rachel asked Thad.

"Only with Jeff, so far. I'm sure you'll be able to wrap him round your little finger, though," he nudged her playfully.

"Who's to say I already don't?" Rachel smirked, one eyebrow arched.

"That's true," Nick chuckled slightly as he wrapped his arm around her. "She does. And I don't mind," he kissed her cheek.

"Hey, Thad?" Quinn suddenly asked. "Whatever happened to Lucy, your girlfriend?"

"Oh, she and I didn't work out. No big," he shrugged. "I mean, we only dated for a month."

"Oh, okay then, I – I'm sorry," she mumbled sadly.

"Don't be sorry! Permission to hug your girlfriend?" Thad asked Jeff.

"Dude, I don't _own_ her! As long as she's cool with it," Jeff smiled.

"Permission granted," Quinn laughed as she hugged Thad. When she pulled back, she stood next to Jeff again and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I love you," she looked up at him.

"I love you too!" he grinned, kissing her forehead. "So what _are_ we doing?"

"We're not watching hockey again," Sebastian mumbled as he finally trudged out of bed.

"Good afternoon, Crabby," Nick smirked. Sebastian flipped him off before heading to the kitchen. "Is Blaine _still_ on the phone to Kurt?" he asked Thad.

"I'm guessing so," Thad shrugged. His eyes looked a little past Jeff's shoulder and his face paled. "Oh, no." His face was a mix of hilarity and fear; a face every boy at Dalton had made at least once in their stay at the all-boys school.

Before Jeff, could turn around to see for himself, he felt two claps on his back – one either side – that were so forceful he almost fell to the ground. The two boys picked him up underneath his armpits, catching him. "Knew you'd be here, Jeffers!"

"Still as weak as ever."

"Yeah, aren't hockey players supposed to be well-built?"

"Ah, but he hasn't played hockey in years."

"True. Let ourselves go a little, haven't we, Jeffers?"

Quinn interrupted the two, "Okay, who are these guys? They're creeping me out a little."

Jeff laughed. "Quinn, meet my cousins; Evan and Ethan Brightman. Twins, this is –"

"Another talking flower!"

Jeff glared at them. "No…My girlfriend, Quinn."

"_You_ have a _girlfriend_?"

"Aww, how sweet!"

"Hey Quinn, why don't you come with us?"

The twins looped one of their arms onto each of Quinn's. "Where are you taking me?" she laughed.

"Well, we've got 17 years of Jeff-gossip to fill you in on!"

"I mean, have you even heard about the time he stayed up for four days straight _just_ to play Ocarina of Time?"

"Or when he was using a big-boy's potty for the first time and he fell right in?"

"Hey, what about the time he stayed outside his front door for the duration of his eleventh birthday just waiting for an owl to fly down to him?"

"Okay, you guys! She gets it!" Jeff's face was redder than it's ever been.

Quinn giggled before releasing herself from the two tall blondes. "You can tell me when he's not in earshot," she said quietly enough for only those either side of her to hear.

They winked at her in understanding before leading her back to the others. "We've been duly told off now, Jeff. We apologise," the twins lied, fighting back smirks.

Jeff was fooled by the twins' poker faces. "Apology accepted. Now come here, you big doofuses," he grinned as he pulled them both in for a hug.

"Who are these people? Where did they come from? Have they been cleansed properly?" The voice became more panicky with every utterance.

Jeff turned himself around to see Dwight, the twins' dorm-mate. He ran towards the dark-haired Dalton student, grinning, "Dwight!"

He jumped out of Jeff's reach, eyes wide and a spray gun pointed at Jeff's face. "You've been outside of these grounds, who knows what could have possessed you?"

"Dwight. Nothing's possessed me, I promise," Jeff said in an even tone.

"And who are they?" he gestured to Quinn and Rachel with his spray gun.

"Well, the blonde girl is Quinn, she's my girlfriend," he grinned goofily. "And the brunette is Rachel, Nick's girlfriend. Girls, this is Dwight," he gestured to the other boy. "Don't worry, neither of _these_ are under any supernatural influence, either," he put his arm around Dwight and hugged him sideways. Dwight waved nervously at the two girls, who smiled back. "Where's Reed?" Jeff asked, but a crash answered his question for him.

"Son of a – Jeff!" Reed started to break out into a run before Jeff interjected.

"Whoa there, Reed! Slow down, we don't need you injured even more," he laughed. When Reed walked over to him, he hugged the redhead. "How've you been?"

"Fine, I've been fine. Not broken anything this semester!" he laughed. "And I'm joining the Warblers!"

"Finally! Congrats, man!" Jeff high-fived Reed, who almost toppled over. "Oh, sorry. You're an awesome singer," he smiled.

"Thank you, Jeff!" Reed beamed. "Now, I heard something about a _girlfriend_…"

Jeff chuckled. "You heard right. Quinn, meet Reed. Reed, Quinn."

Reed outstretched his hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Quinn!"

"You too," she smiled softly as she shook his hand.

"And this," Nick led Rachel forward, "is my girlfriend, Rachel."

"Aw, I've heard so much about you!" Nick shook his head warningly, but Reed ignored him. "Nick's always coming to me on date nights so I can review his outfits of choice for him. He normally only needs a few adjustments," he smirked.

Nick facepalmed and Rachel giggled. "I take it you and Kurt got on well when he was here!"

"Yeah! He was my best friend! Not that he still isn't, but I mean when he was here, he was my _only_ best friend, but I have Dwight now!" He gestured to the tall, pale boy, who jumped behind Jeff again. "He's kind of shy around girls," he explained with a grin.

"Reeeeeed!" Dwight groaned, his eyes poking above Jeff's shoulder.

"Well, if you're not going to talk to them, I have to explain or they'll think you're being rude!"

"Okay, is there a reason you're all here?" Jeff asked.

"Don't you love us anymore, Jeff?" the twins pouted.

"Not you two," he smirked back. "But is there a particular reason?"

"Yeah. We're busting you guys out and taking you to Dwight's dad's theme park!" Reed beamed.

"We bagsy Quinn!" the twins chorused.

"Alright, order, everybody!" Wes' voice boomed through the hall.

"Guys, Gavel's speaking," Dwight smirked.

"Don't you have some rock salt to throw?" Wes asked, clearly tired of everyone's antics by now. "Now, Dwight can take the Impala with the twins and Quinn…Jeff, you can come with Nick, Rachel and I, and David, Reed and Blaine can go with Thad!"

"BLAINE!" Thad yelled. "If you don't get your ass in gear, you'll be left here on your own!"

"He won't be on his own," came Sebastian's drawl as he padded back to his room from the kitchen. They moved Reed away from him; not to protect him from Sebastian himself, more his oven dressing gown that was prone to being tripped on. "'S nice to know you included me in your plans." There was an air of disappointment in his voice.

"We're sorry, Sebastian, but there's no more room," Wes wasn't looking at the newest Warbler.

He scoffed. "Yeah, how _convenient_."

Quinn stepped forward. "There's four people in every car, right? So every group has one spot left! That's plenty of room for Sebastian," she smiled at him hopefully.

"Cute. I can see what your boyfriend sees in you," he smiled lopsidedly back. "If I swung that way, he'd be in trouble." Sebastian sighed. "But I have better things to do than run around a theme park _babysitting_ the rest of you."

"Like what? Sitting here on your own? When the love of your life could be there and you would have spent your whole life whether you would have met them?" Quinn raised her eyebrows.

Sebastian sighed. "Give me 10 minutes."

"Quinn!" Nick hissed once Sebastian's door was closed. "What did you do that for? He's gonna spend the whole time trying to put moves on Blaine!"

"Not unless someone else was to meet him there," Quinn looked at Rachel.

"Come on, no human could convert Sebastian from flirting with Potter!" Dwight shook his head.

"Then maybe he needs a _saint_," Quinn emphasised the last word, still staring at Rachel, whose eyes lit up as she finally understood.

"What's happening?" Nick and Jeff asked simultaneously, and everyone laughed.

"You'll see," Quinn pecked Jeff's cheek. Sebastian and Blaine came out of their respective rooms moments later.

"Everyone ready?" Wes asked, relieved when everyone nodded. "Good. Let's go, Dalton!"


	24. Lockdown, Part 3

A/N: Gidday, people of Earth and its surrounding inhabitable areas! We are nearing our end here, just one more chapter and an epilogue to go! I'm going to end this for several reasons. 1. Uni starts soon and I can't have too many side-projects. 2. I can focus on Nichel stuff now! 3. This is getting a wee bit repetitive since I can't think of much more to write.

I love each and every one of you though, this has been my biggest ever project and I couldn't have done it without all of you, so thank you! :D

Reviews are, as always, much appreciated.

Enjoy!

…

In the Impala, Dwight sat in the front, his bag of hunting tools in the passenger seat ("Just in case!"), while the twins had sandwiched Quinn into the middle seat in the back of the car. Currently blasting out was Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody. Everyone remained still in anticipation for the right moment, and then, in true Wayne's World fashion, all headbanged as the guitars kicked in. "Okay, I'm getting a headache," Quinn pressed her hand to her head.

"Are you okay?" the Brightman on her left asked. The Brightman on her right took her free hand in his.

She looked at them both appreciatively. "I'm fine, thank you. Think I rocked a little too hard," she grinned.

"There's _never_ such a thing!" Dwight yelled from the front.

When Quinn removed her hand from her brow, the other twin held it. "You guys are being really sweet," she leant her head on each of their shoulders.

"Well, you're Jeff's girlfriend now –"

"–Which makes you family, too."

"And we _always_ take care of our family."

"Always."

Quinn felt a warm, fuzzy feeling tingle throughout her. "Thank you, both of you."

"Anything for our newest talking flower!"

"Why do you call me that?" Quinn giggled.

"You fell down the rabbit hole and ended up in Warblerland!"

"Kurt was Alice –"

"–Wes is the March Hare–"

"–David, the Mad Hatter–"

"–Reed, the Dormouse–"

"–Dwight's the White Knight–"

"–Blaine's the White Rabbit–"

"–And we don't have one for Sebastian yet."

"Let me guess, you two are –" Quinn started.

"Tweedledum," Evan smiled.

"And Tweedledee," Ethan mirrored his twin.

"We prefer the term 'Tweedles' though," they said together.

"Wait, so what happens when you run out of characters?"

"Oh, we have! There are more than just us at Dalton."

"Yeah, we also nickname based on people themselves."

"So Nick is just 'meticulously copies notes'–"

"–Thad is 'You mock us, sir' –"

"–And Jeff is 'popular among girls'."

"Which is even funnier because he couldn't get a girl before he met you!"

"You guys are so mean," Quinn laughed.

"We're family! We're allowed."

"So come on, tell me about the other Dalton-goers!" Quinn encouraged.

"Okay, well…There's Logan, he's just like Sebastian except–"

"Angrier. Far angrier."

"Hey, that's not fair; he has been taking his meds since Kurt left."

"True. Plus he has the Cheshire Cat to keep him busy."

"Julian, from another dorm," one of the Tweedles – Quinn had already forgotten which was which, but it didn't matter; they were one unit anyway – explained.

"Now, we could go on–"

"–And on–"

"–And _on_–"

"–About Dalton–"

"–But would you rather hear about _that_–"

"–Or about Jeff's embarrassingly awkward journey through puberty?"

"Gross!" Quinn pulled a face. "I think I'll pass on that, thanks. So, Dwight," Quinn leant forward, "I take it you're into Harry Potter and all the stuff Jeff is."

"Yes I am! Are you?"

Quinn shrugged. "A little."

"Okay, before I continue, I have to ask you an important – nay, _vital_ – question." Quinn bated her breath. "Harry Potter…Or Twilight?"

"Harry Potter, duh!" Quinn laughed.

"Good. You can stay in the car," Dwight nodded. Quinn giggled again. "Okay, are you into much else?"

"Not really," Quinn admitted, slightly ashamed.

"Oh, don't worry, that's a good thing! If someone like you still wants to be around Jeff, we know you're awesome," Dwight smiled into the mirror at Quinn, who returned the gesture. "Tell me about yourself! What do you do?"

"Well, I'm on the cheer squad at my school," Quinn explained, "and New Directions, obviously. Between those and schoolwork, there's not much room to do much else."

"So what do you want to do after high school?" Dwight asked.

"Maybe acting, or presenting or something like that," she shrugged. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'll be too busy saving people to worry about things like that! I'm a monster hunter, see. I save people from supernatural _and_ extra-terrestrial potential dangers. But there is the whole heir-to-my-dad's-empire thing," Dwight pulled a face.

"Well, that's not so bad!" Quinn smiled. "I mean, you're inheriting an entire company of theme parks!"

"I guess," Dwight sighed heavily. "Oh, would you two!" he scolded as the twins started giggling incessantly. "I'm sorry about those two. I've said it before and I'll say it again – I'm the only sane one at Dalton anymore."

…

"So tell me more about this Jesse guy," Sebastian leant over to see Rachel's phone screen clearer.

"Okay, hold on, I'm trying to see if I have any pictures with him still!" The grip Nick had on the wheel grew tighter. "Here," Rachel showed him a picture of herself and her curly-haired ex-boyfriend. "I went out with him last year, it didn't end well," she sighed sadly. "Until one day, he showed up out of the blue to apologise and that's when he came out to me. As unflattering to me as it was, I supported him, seeing as I'm the closest thing he's got to a friend – he's extremely egotistical, you see."

"Perfect," Sebastian smirked. "I love a guy who thinks he's big. Makes it feel even better when I domina–"

"While I may be okay with the fact that Jesse is gay, that doesn't mean I wish to hear things like that," Rachel deadpanned.

"Nick, are you okay?" Jeff asked quietly.

"What? Me? Pssh, of course I am," Nick lied.

"Nick."

He sighed. "Just all of this talk about ex-boyfriends, y'know? I mean, from what she's saying, this Jesse dude is quite a guy."

"Oh, Nick, don't tell me you're falling for –"

"For my girlfriend's ex? God, no!" Nick shook his head. "I'm just…Wondering. If she ever compares me to him," he mumbled.

"Nick, may I remind you of the reason we let you and Rachel have a room to yourself for the night last night?" Jeff raised his eyebrows.

Nick sighed. "I guess, but –"

"Nuh-uh. No buts. It happened. She loves you. You love her. That's all that matters." Jeff smiled. "Besides, do you not think that with Quinn's history, I've felt jealous before?"

Nick chuckled. "Yeah, you're hardly quarterback material."

"Hey!"

"You know I love you really," Nick teased.

"Good job that's mutual then, or you'd be in trouble," Jeff smirked.

"Gagging here," Wes droned from behind Nick.

"What's up, Wes? Missing your gavel?" Nick teased, only to have Wes give him the finger in the mirror. "Jeffy, Wes made a rude sign at me!" Nick said in a singsong voice.

"I'm gonna make a rude sign at you too in a minute," Jeff scowled before laughing. "I'm sorry, Nick."

"S'okay. Hey, look, there's the turning!"

…

All the cars followed each other to the car park, so they'd all get a spot close to each other. When they got out, Jeff immediately went over to Quinn. "Thank God I can be with you again, I think those guys would drive me insane!"

"Drive you? Aren't you already there yet?" Quinn teased.

Jeff gasped in mock horror. "Jerk!" he teased.

Quinn just smiled wickedly and kissed Jeff. He responded by lifting her onto the bonnet of the Impala and kissing her back, one hand on her hip and one on the back of her neck.

Dwight was too busy laughing about something with Reed before he noticed what Quinn and Jeff were doing. His eyes widened in shock, but he softened almost immediately. "What? Even I can tell that's adorable," he explained his reaction to a sceptical Reed. "Anyway, can we go yet?"

"Not yet. We're waiting for Rachel's friend," Reed reminded him.

"Her _ex-boyfriend_," Nick prompted through gritted teeth.

…

Once Jesse had arrived and introductions had been made, it seemed that the group had disbanded into smaller groups of twos, threes and fours. Quinn and Jeff were walking down a row of stalls hand-in-hand. "So, Quinn…" Jeff started.

"So, Jeff."

"I – I was wondering something…" Jeff mumbled.

"What's up?" Quinn asked, standing a little closer.

"Well, Nick and I were talking in the car, and –"

"Is this you finally coming out and telling me it's _him_ you love?" Quinn teased.

"No!" Jeff laughed. "No, it's…Have you ever, y'know, compared me to one of your exes? Like Finn or Puck or Sam?"

"Of course I have," Quinn replied matter-of-factly. "I do all the time. It's how I know that you're the one I really wanna be with."

"Really?" Jeff asked, his face brightening.

"Of course!" Quinn giggled. "I think of what I had with all of those guys, and what I have with you, and…It just feels more _genuine_ with you, y'know?"

"Yeah," Jeff replied vaguely. "But, just so I'm clear, you're cool if I don't join the football team next year?"

Quinn laughed. "Okay, how about this; if you get on the football team, I'll become a Cheerio next year."

"Oh, now that's not fair!"

"Why not?" she asked, frowning.

"Because then I don't even get to watch you cheer; and when I do, you'll have some other guy's hands all over you. And as much as I want you to be your own person, you're still mine in that I want to be the one that gets to hold you."

"Jeff!" Quinn wrapped her arms around his neck. He picked her up and whirled her round, making her laugh again. "I love you."

"Love you too!" he said, planting a kiss on her cheek.

…

Several hours, many photos and yet another road trip back after, the Dalton students were back in their dorm. "Thanks for today, Dwight!" everyone thanked him.

"No problem," Dwight shrugged. "It was nice meeting your girlfriends! And boyfriend," he regarded Sebastian.

"Jesse is not my boyfriend!" Sebastian yelled.

"Whatever. He totally is. C'mon, Reed, let's go. Goodnight, everyone!"

"Goodnight!" came the chorus of male voices.

"So what exactly _did_ happen between you and Jesse then?" Nick asked.

"We had a…Good day," Sebastian shrugged with a frown.

"Will you be repeating it?" Jeff asked.

"Doubt it. He didn't seem that interested." Several moments of silence passed, the only sound being the tapping sound of Nick's phone keys.

"Rachel says otherwise," he eventually said. "Apparently Jesse doesn't think _you'll_ wanna take it further."

"Oh God, it's junior high all over again!" David sighed.

"Hey, my girlfriend and I started going out in junior high!" Wes frowned.

"Yes, Wes, we all know you're special," David groaned.

"Okay, I'm gonna hit the hay a little early. Night, guys!" Jeff yawned, trudging into Blaine's room. He changed into his sleepwear and flopped onto the bed, taking his phone out.

**To: Quinn  
>This bed feels lonely without you :( Come back please? :3 x<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>Please, I got enough of a scolding from Mom for not telling her where I was going before I left. x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Sorry, I didn't mean to get you into trouble! How is your mom? x<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>She still likes you if that's what you mean :P She's okay, I guess. Any news on JesseSebastian? x**

**To: Quinn  
>I think they're sorting that out outside. God, it's like an agony aunt's column : x**

**Fr: Quinn  
>Haha, aww no wonder you went to bed early! x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>…How do you know that?<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>You just told me the bed feels lonely without me! :P x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Oh yeah, I did :P Well, it does. I miss you :( x<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>I miss you too. But hey, prom's coming up! Get excited ;) x<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>I am! Oh, and I spoke to her, she can definitely make it! :D x<strong>

**Fr: Quinn  
>I almost forgot who 'her' was for a minute! That's great :) Well, I better get some sleep. Goodnight, baby :) xx<strong>

**To: Quinn  
>Night, sweetie. Sleep well :D xx<strong>


	25. Prom

A/N: Brace yourselves everyone…IT'S THE FINAL CHAPTERRR! (DodoDOOdo…DodoDOdodoo)

Well, I say that. There'll be an epilogue, but shhhh!

I know this sounds cheesy and weird, but I want to thank you guys. Without all of your support, and comments, I wouldn't be here, on chapter 25. That's the longest fic I've written that I've completed and it's helped me develop my writing so much, I seriously do love each and every one of you who reads this.

Okay. Mushy stuff over.

Ash is back for one last time! :D She can be found at alltheklaine on Tumblr (because she's had a URL change since last time she was in this fic ;P) and Lorna (who is still thegirlwhowas0nfire) and Olly (ollehh)!

Enjoy!

…

"I still don't know what I'm doing here!" Ash was sat in the passenger seat of Jeff's car.

"Did Quinn not tell you?" Ash shook her head. "You're staying with her for a couple of weeks."

"I know that! I just don't know _why_."

"Don't you want to spend time with your favourite ex-member of an all-boys show choir?" Jeff pouted.

"Oh, you're taking me to visit Kurt?" Ash teased.

"Shut up," Jeff laughed. "Or I'll get your brothers to pick you up again!"

"Fine, I'm sorry," Ash rolled her eyes. "Why am I in Ohio?"

"Because Sam's taking you to prom."

Ash's eyes widened. "He's _what_?"

Jeff nodded. "Yeah, but he doesn't know it yet. We do have to go and visit Kurt first, because he's designing your dresses and he wants to make sure they fit. I'm only dropping you off, because Quinn's there too and I'm 'not allowed' to see anything."

"Preparation for the wedding," Ash joked.

"I'll hit you," Jeff warned.

"You won't," Ash shrugged.

"Nah, I won't," Jeff agreed, laughing. They pulled up to Kurt's house. "This is where I leave you!" He pulled Ash in for a hug. "Say hi to Quinn for me!"

"Of course! I'll just swan in and say 'Quinn, I know this may seem a little weird, but Jeff has asked for your hand in marriage.' Then she'll say 'Oh my God, Ash, we've already got two kids named Joaquin and Christina, you were the godmother, remember?' and I'll say 'Was there alcohol there?' and she'll say 'Yeah' and I'll say 'That's why I don't remember!' and –"

"You frighten me."

"Good, then my job's done." Ash jumped out of the car. "Bye, Jeffers!"

…

"_I can't tell you._"

"Kuuuurt, come on, man. I just need to know the colour. You wouldn't want a mismatched couple, would you, Kurtsie?"

"_I thought we left that nickname at Dalton… Anyway, fine. She's wearing – __**Kurt, you're not supposed to say!**__ – I'm just telling him what colour you're wearing because otherwise you won't match and it'll all be a total disaster! …Look, Jeff, I'll send Blaine down now to take you guys shopping, he knows what the girls are wearing._"

"But wait, surely Sam should come too? He doesn't even know Ash is here, let alone that he's going to prom!"

"_Uggghh, you people will be the death of me. Alright, give me half an hour. Pick Sam up and bring him with you to the mall._"

"Alright. See you there, Kurtsie!"

"_I hate you._"

…

Jeff knocked three times on the door of Sam's motel room. "Jeff?" Sam asked tentatively as he opened the door. "What are you doing here? Isn't everyone getting ready for prom or whatever?" He looked down sadly.

"Nope, we're just going to the Lima Bean. Kurt and Blaine are bringing the girls, I think Artie's coming too, some of the Warblers are…And so are you!" Jeff grabbed Sam's arm and pulled him out of the door. Sam sighed, rolling his eyes as he allowed himself to be led by Jeff.

When they got to the coffee shop, Quinn was already there. She came bounding up to Jeff and kissed him sweetly. Sam looked at his shoes awkwardly before someone leapt on his back. "Hey, Mr Grumpy-Gills," Ash laughed at the Finding Nemo reference she'd just made into Sam's ear.

Sam turned on the spot, much resembling a puppy chasing its tail before realising that it wasn't helping him see for himself if it really was who he thought it was on his back. "Ash?" he asked excitedly. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you back in Virginia?"

Ash slid off of Sam's back. "Well, okay, if you don't _want_ me here…" she started to back away slowly, giggling when Sam wrapped his arms around her.

"I didn't mean it like _that_," he laughed. "Don't you have school up there?"

Ash shook her head. "Home-schooled," she explained.

"Oh, okay, awesome!" Sam beamed. "So what brings you down here?"

"Well, as surprising as it sounds coming from me, I do love a good prom," she raised her eyebrows, giggling as Sam's jaw dropped open.

Sam turned to look at Quinn and Jeff, who were both looking on like proud parents, and shook his head. "No way, I can't afford it, I –"

"Have a bunch of awesome friends who've totally hooked you up so that you don't need to pay a thing?" Jeff smirked. "We know."

Sam looked at Jeff, then Quinn, then Ash, all of whom had the same amused expressions. "I – I can't even – You guys are gonna make me cry in public," he laughed shakily. He hugged Quinn, then Jeff. "Thank you two, so much."

"No problem," Quinn smiled sweetly.

"Oh, and Sam?" Jeff slipped Sam two $20 bills. "Take her ou tonight, and treat her right, won't you? Remember, if you break her heart, I'll break your nose."

"Same goes with Quinn," he shrugged, taking the money. They both grinned before pulling each other in for a man-hug. "Thanks, man. For everything."

"Don't mention it," Jeff smiled.

…

All the couples were now in the hall for prom. Nick was wearing a dark blue suit with a white shirt and red tie ("I gotta represent my home colours somehow!") while Rachel sported a dark blue dress and red headband. Ash's dress with aquamarine on the top half with a black skirt, and Sam's black suit and shirt with aquamarine tie complemented nicely. Lorna and Artie were wearing red, Santana and Brittany were wearing yellow, Kurt and Blaine had incorporated purple into their outfits somehow, Mercedes had gone off somewhere with Shane and nobody had seen her, and Tina and Mike wore simple black and white outfits. Quinn and Jeff were wearing light blue, because Kurt refused to have them wearing colours that didn't match and Brittany and Santana had already called yellow as 'their colour'.

Jeff and Ash were dancing together, as were Sam and Quinn. "So, you having a good time in Ohio?" Jeff asked Ash as he twirled her round.

"Absolutely!" she beamed. "I'm having an amazing time."

"Good! So, have you and Sam figured things out yet?"

"Well, I dunno," she shrugged. "I like him. I mean, he's dorky as hell, but so are you – Oh, you know I love you," she laughed at his offended face. "Yeah, it's just getting over the whole distance thing that's dragging."

"Well, whatever happens, I'll be happy for you," he pulled her in for a hug as the song ended. Sam and Quinn walked up to them. "You two have fun?" he asked, and both nodded, before catching each other's gazes and laughing. Jeff sighed, looking at Ash and shaking his head. "Do you know what they're giggling about?"

"It's Sam, it could literally be anything! Oh, I'm sorry, don't give me those eyes!" as Sam threw a puppy-dog look her way.

He laughed before asking, "May I?"

"May he?" Ash asked Jeff.

"No," Jeff put his arm around her protectively. "I'm just kidding! Of course you can. Just have her home by 11!"

"Shut up!" Ash laughed as her and Sam headed into the dancefloor.

Jeff rolled his eyes at Quinn. "Would you like to dance with me?" he asked hopefully.

Quinn giggled. "Of course!" She took Jeff's hand and allowed herself to be led to the dancefloor too. She wrapped her arms around Jeff's neck and couldn't help but grin at the look he was giving her. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You're honestly the most beautiful woman I've ever met," he smiled, still looking at Quinn with the same adoring gaze. "Inside and out. You know that, right?"

"Well, when you constantly tell me, it's hard not to," she giggled, before her face became serious again. "And you're genuinely the most amazing guy I've met. I'm so glad I found you."

"That feeling," he tapped her on the nose, making her giggle, "is more than mutual."

They kept dancing for a while, looking around at everyone else dancing. Lorna was sat on Artie's lap, and both were swaying gently, Artie saying something into Lorna's ear that made the Irish girl giggle and blush. Next to them, her brother Rory was dancing with the other foreign exchange kid, Olly. Even Kurt and Blaine were slow-dancing. Everyone finally had someone. Jeff looked over until he saw the blonde of Sam's hair to see him kissing Ash. Jeff initially had mixed feelings; while at first a wave of protectiveness swept over him, he remembered it was Sam, and he felt more relieved.

"What are you grinning a–" Quinn turned to look where Jeff was. "Aww!" she cooed as she realised. "They're so cute together."

"Second cutest couple here, I'd say," Jeff smirked.

Quinn gasped. "Could it be? Is Jeff Sterling really complimenting himself?"

"Nope," Jeff shook his head. "Your adorable radiates so much it makes me seem slightly better. I'm still nothing compared to you," he bent his head down to kiss her cheek softly.

"Not true," Quinn frowned. "I wish you could see how amazing you are, Jeff," she admitted quietly.

"Oh, I hate seeing you upset!" Jeff moaned, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Okay, here. If you think that I'm so great –"

"You _are_ that great, though," Quinn reminded him.

"Then I can't be absolutely terrible." He grinned.

Quinn mirrored him. "You're more than not terrible!"

"Baby steps," Jeff raised his eyebrows.

"Baby steps," Quinn nodded, laughing before wrapping her arms even tighter around him.

"Can I have your attention, please?" came Principal Figgins' voice from the stage. "It is time to announce who your prom king and queen are. This year's McKinley junior prom king is…Artie Abrams."

Everyone burst into wild applause; Artie couldn't even believe he'd won. He rolled himself onto stage and shook the principal's hand before taking the microphone. A huge grin spread across his face as he announced, "Ladies and gentlemen…King Arthur has arrived!"

Everyone laughed and applauded as Artie took his place at the side of the stage. "And now," Figgins called after everyone had settled down, "your prom queen for this year is…Quinn Fabray!"

Quinn stood in shock. She couldn't have – _How?_ "Did you –?" she asked Jeff, not needing to continue as she saw his beaming face. "You're such a jerk, you know that?" she laughed before kissing him and joining Artie. When she was handed the microphone, she was stunned into silence. "I don't…I don't know what to say, I – Thank you guys," she wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and everyone "aww"ed before cheering again.

"And now the king and queen must dance!" Figgins announced.

Quinn smiled at Artie, who smirked, "Well, you're no Lorna, but you'll do."

"Shut up, Artie," she giggled as they both made their way down to the dancefloor, holding hands and moving from side to side with him. "Congratulations, Artie, you deserved it," she smiled.

"So did you! You look amazing tonight," he grinned back, raising his arm for her to spin under. She did so with a laugh. They continued dancing for the duration of the song, and when it was over, Quinn bent down and kissed Artie's cheek. He thanked her, a little flustered, and wheeled himself over to Lorna, where he asked her to dance. She accepted, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

"So can I have you back yet or are you pining after Artie now?" Jeff murmured into Quinn's ear as he stood behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist as they started swaying from side to side.

She laughed. "Well, I tried, but apparently 'I'm no Lorna'."

"True," Jeff shrugged, laughing as Quinn turned to look at him reproachfully. "But you are Lucy Quinn Fabray and you are everything I need and so much more."

"That's the cheesiest thing you've ever said to me, and that's saying something," she giggled.

"I'm a cheesy guy!" Jeff defended bemusedly.

"True," Quinn replied in a mock accent, repeating what Jeff had said.

Jeff laughed. "But you've put up with me throughout my ridiculousness, so that's gotta count for something, right?"

"Right." She sighed. "This has been the best night ever."


	26. Epilogue

A year and a half later, Quinn was laid on her bed, staring at the phone screen waiting for Jeff's reply. They were attending colleges in completely different states, but they'd tried to keep their relationship going.

It wasn't easy. Phone calls that lasted for hours now were only half an hour, max. She spoke to Rachel for longer than that! Pages of emails became paragraphs. The hope she'd started the semester with was fizzling out.

Her roommate knocked, "Are you decent?"

"Yeah," she called back.

Her roommate took one look at her and sighed. " Look, he's probably moved on. You should do the same."

Quinn shook her head. "No," she replied simply, "Jeff's not like that."

"All boys are the same, Quinn. Just forget about him for a night and come out with us!"

Quinn shook her head again. "I have work to finish anyway. Have fun, though!"

"I will!"

…

It all happened in a matter of minutes. Quinn was feeling hungry. She'd gone to get a sandwich. A skid of tyres, a squeal of brakes, the scream of an eighteen-year-old girl and then the thud of a body hitting the road.

She woke up several days later, bleary-eyed. She could make out a blonde head and a plaid shirt. She chuckled. "See college hasn't changed your dress sense."

As Jeff's face came into view, she could see the relief as she'd spoken. His hair was shorter now, and he had slightly more muscle. He laughed. "Well, I had to get you to recognise me somehow!" He bent down to kiss her brow. "How you feeling?"

"Sore. Everywhere." Quinn groaned.

Jeff stroked her hair softly, "I'm sorry, baby. If I could make it stop, I would."

"I know," she smiled. Her face then fell. "Wait, when did you get here? What about college?"

"You're more important. Besides, I can copy notes from someone else. I can't ask someone else to be your boyfriend." Hearing Jeff say that suddenly lifted a huge metaphorical weight from Quinn's chest. "Quinn, I am so sorry for…Well, not being a good boyfriend. But I don't want to promise that I'll be a better one. In fact, I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore."

Quinn felt like everything around her was slowing down. "W-What?"

"I want to be more than that." She looked at him and saw what he was twirling in his fingers - a small box. "I didn't quite know when to go ahead and do this, but…Well, that night. When I rang your phone and someone else answered telling me you were here…I can't lose you forever, Quinn, it'd tear me apart! So here I am. I've been your boyfriend since high school, and now that we've moved on from there, we've grown up - I want our relationship to grow up too.

"Now I'm not saying we should any time soon, but someday, after college," he pulled open the box to reveal a ring, "would you make me even happier than I am right now and become Quinn Sterling?"

Quinn bit her lip before replying simply, "No." Jeff's heart sank before she giggled, sitting up and wincing as she did. "I wanna become Lucy Sterling."

Relief and joy and all the good feelings in the world combined swept through Jeff. He took her hand, put the ring on and then moved up to kiss her for the first time in three months. "I love you."

"I love you too. But one more scare like that and that might change," she laughed.

"Hey, you scared me with that whole 'I wanna be Lucy' thing!"

"True. Okay, we're even. What time is it?" Quinn asked, rubbing her eyes wearily.

"1:25am," Jeff replied.

Quinn's eyes widened. "And you're still up?" She shuffled over to make room and patted the bed next to her. Jeff laughed as he joined her, carefully wrapping one arm around her where it didn't hurt. "Night, Jeff," she smiled sleepily.

"Goodnight…Lucy," Jeff kissed her cheek before settling down and falling asleep.


End file.
